The 2025 Academic Conference on Africa at UN Headquarters convened African scholars, ministers, and activists to discuss why many countries on the continent feel off course and to explore pathways for Africa to assert its role in a changing global landscape. In an interview following the conference, UN Special Adviser Cristina Duarte highlighted that mindset transformation, reclaiming African knowledge, and strengthening institutions are critical for meaningful development. She emphasized that Africa’s primary challenge is not a multitude of problems, but a mindset issue that shapes policy decisions and national priorities.
Duarte noted that Africa faces ongoing nation- and state-building challenges despite nearly 60 years of independence. She stressed the need for the continent to control its own economic and financial resources, pointing out that debt distress is largely a result of external control over Africa’s finances rather than over-indebtedness. She argued for a shift from reliance on foreign aid to domestic resource mobilization, using existing resources more efficiently rather than raising taxes.
Remittances from the African diaspora, totaling over $100 billion annually, exceed both official development assistance and foreign direct investment combined. Duarte underscored that remittances should be treated as domestic resources, integrated strategically into national development financing rather than viewed as external aid. This perspective challenges conventional policy approaches and encourages African countries to harness these flows to build sustainable economic ecosystems.
Addressing Africa’s youthful population, Duarte highlighted that over 60 percent of Africans are under 25, yet most work in the informal sector. She emphasized the need to invest domestic wealth into productive sectors and economic ecosystems, while scaling STEM education to equip young people with tools for decent employment. She stressed the shared responsibility of governments to create enabling environments and of youth to leverage opportunities for self-employment and innovation.
Despite governance weaknesses, Duarte expressed optimism for Africa’s future, noting that demographic trends position the continent for global influence. She advocated for a “Made-in-Africa” democracy that draws on the continent’s traditions of consensus, participation, and social responsibility, rather than importing narrow Western models. The current governance crisis, she argued, presents an opportunity to rebuild political systems tailored to African realities.
Concluding her message, Duarte called for a “knowledge contract” between policymakers and academics, urging both groups to look inward and apply African knowledge to development strategies. By embracing domestic expertise and collaborating to design policies that reflect local realities, she emphasized, Africa can chart a sustainable and self-determined path for the next 25 to 50 years.
