By Joseph FitzMcBobe, Staff Writer | The Independentist
Marrakech, Morocco —Monday, 9 June 2025
“Africa no longer demands aid; it demands fair compensation for its resources.”
This striking declaration reverberated across the halls of the Marrakech Convention Center at the 2025 Ibrahim Governance Weekend (IGW), held from June 1–3. It captured the resolute shift in tone and posture of a continent ready to chart its own course toward economic sovereignty.
Organized by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the IGW 2025 marked a historic inflection point. With international aid dwindling—down by 11% over the past decade—and the climate crisis deepening, African leaders, thinkers, and activists gathered in solidarity under a singular call: to end dependency and take charge of the continent’s future.
A Fading Model of Aid
In her keynote remarks, Nathalie Delapalme, Executive Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, called for a radical break from an outdated development paradigm.
“Development aid now represents only 10% of the continent’s financing,” she noted. “It’s time to move away from a model that’s out of breath.”
Indeed, aid has become more symbolic than substantive. “Less than 1% of the Gross National Income (GNI) of forty-two African countries comes from recent cuts announced by USAID,” Delapalme revealed—exposing the growing disconnect between alarmist rhetoric and actual fiscal impact.
From Aided Continent to Strategic Powerhouse
Africa’s true leverage lies not in charity, but in its unmatched resources: vast reserves of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, and manganese; vast green energy potential; expansive agricultural capacity; and a rising generation of young, educated citizens hungry for opportunity. Add to this the influence of a vibrant and mobilized diaspora, and the message is clear—Africa is no longer waiting.
“Africa is at a crossroads,” Delapalme stated. “It is no longer waiting for someone to lend a helping hand. It wants to set the rules of the game.”
This reversal in geopolitical thinking is already underway. In the aftermath of the Ukraine war, Europe has rediscovered the strategic importance of African gas. Meanwhile, the global race toward green energy has made Africa’s mineral wealth indispensable.
What remains is for Africa to translate this potential into local value creation: jobs, infrastructure, tax revenues, and industrial capacity that remain on the continent.
A Socially Just Revolution
This “silent revolution” is powered by Africa’s youth—now the demographic majority—who no longer tolerate vague promises. They are demanding accountability: that national wealth be redistributed fairly and used for social and economic transformation. Without justice, there can be no sustainable development.
And without governance, sovereignty is hollow.
The Governance Imperative
“Transforming Africa’s model is unrealistic without peace, security, justice, and regional economic integration,” emphasized Delapalme.
This is why the Mo Ibrahim Foundation places such strong emphasis on good governance, tax transparency, and local value chains. Tax evasion, exploitative contracts, and extractive agreements have long drained the continent. That must end.
This year’s host, Morocco, embodies the momentum. Having moved from 13th to 8th place in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance in just a decade, Morocco demonstrates what political will and coherent policy can achieve.
From Rhetoric to Reality
Demanding fair compensation for Africa’s wealth is not entitlement. It is a call for justice. The continent is no longer asking for handouts—it is offering partnership based on equity, dignity, and mutual benefit.
This shift in mindset could signal the dawn of a new historical era: an Africa that defines its destiny through economic sovereignty.
About the Ibrahim Governance Weekend (IGW):
The IGW is the flagship event of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Hosted annually in a different African country, it brings together leading African political and business figures, civil society representatives, multilateral organizations, and global partners to debate urgent issues shaping the future of Africa.
Joseph FitzMcBobe,
