Why Africa Must Reclaim Its Future on African Soil; A Review Case Against Foreign-Made Summits

When Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan addressed delegates at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing this September, she stood at the lectern of yet another foreign capital that hosted Africa’s leaders for African developmental discuss. Cameras captured handshakes, speeches and pledges of renewed cooperation. But behind the symbolism lies a pressing question: why does a continent of over 1.4 billion people, with abundant resources and the African Union (AU) as its institutional anchor, continue to deliberate its destiny abroad?

In recent decades, Africa’s leaders have repeatedly boarded planes to Tokyo, Beijing, Paris, Washington, Russia, Rome, etc., for summits that promises partnership. Japan’s TICAD 9 offered loans of $5.5 billion, training for over 30,000 students, artificial intelligence aspirations, and proposals for new trade zones. China’s FOCAC emphasized infrastructure and energy. France, the U.S. and others host their own gatherings.

These initiatives are not without merit. Ports, highways, and scholarships provide tangible benefits. Yet the framework is often transactional and piecemeal, producing dependency rather than transformation. Leaders return with isolated projects – a hospital here or a training program there, but not with the continent-wide strategies envisioned in the AU’s Agenda 2063 or the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).