A Pan-Africanist, Nyaaba-Aweeba Azongo, is urging African leaders to go beyond calls for reparations and instead develop a self-driven economic framework to break what he describes as decades of neo-colonial control over the continent.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Azongo argued that while the recent United Nations recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as a grave crime against humanity is significant, it does not address the deeper structural issues affecting Africa’s development.
He contends that Africa’s economic challenges are rooted in a long-standing external blueprint, which he claims was introduced in 1961 to shape the continent’s economic direction in favour of foreign interests.
Referencing the vision of Kwame Nkrumah, Mr. Azongo noted that early post-independence aspirations for self-reliance were undermined by external interventions that influenced Africa’s development trajectory.
According to him, these influences created a system where local political and intellectual elites align with foreign powers, a concept widely discussed in dependency theory, contributing to continued underdevelopment across the continent.
Mr. Azongo stressed that more than six decades later, many African economies still reflect these patterns, making it urgent for the continent to redefine its development path.
He called for a shift toward what he described as an “African-based self-reparative development order,” which would prioritise local innovation, independent policymaking, and economic sovereignty.
He concluded that without such a transformation, efforts at reparatory justice may fall short of delivering meaningful and lasting change for Africa and its people.
