Former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has reiterated the urgent need for Africa to harness its demographic advantage, strengthen state capacity, and assert its strategic interests amid shifting global dynamics. He made the call while speaking at the Cape Town Conversation 2025, where he featured on a high-level panel titled “NextGen Africa: Africa’s Strategic Imperative.”
The annual gathering, convened by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, brought together policymakers, scholars, and thought leaders from across Africa and beyond. This year’s edition gained added significance as it followed shortly after South Africa hosted the first-ever G20 meeting on African soil an event that intensified conversations around the continent’s evolving role in global governance.
During the panel session, Dr. Fayemi emphasised that Africa’s ability to thrive in a rapidly changing world hinges on its capacity to innovate, industrialise, and invest in human capital. He highlighted the continent’s demographic strength as a unique asset, stressing the need for deliberate strategies to empower young Africans in leadership, technology, economic transformation, and governance.
According to him, Africa must pursue an approach to innovation, energy transition, and value addition that reinforces sovereignty rather than deepens dependency. He also underscored the importance of building resilient economies capable of withstanding geopolitical tensions, climate pressures, and uncertainties in the global marketplace.
One of the major highlights of the event was the closing reflection delivered by former South African President, Thabo Mbeki. Dr. Fayemi described Mbeki’s remarks as profound, historically grounded, and a crucial reminder of Africa’s unfinished struggles within the global order.
Mbeki challenged African leaders to strengthen internal coherence, define their interests without ambiguity, and organise effectively to defend and advance those interests on the world stage. He further reflected on global inequalities, the slow progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the enduring lessons from NEPAD and the G8 Africa Action Plan—issues he said remain central to Africa’s development trajectory.
As the 2025 edition of the Cape Town Conversation wrapped up, Dr. Fayemi noted that the central question moving forward is how Africa can meaningfully shape a fairer global system while addressing its own internal institutional and structural limitations.
Expressing optimism, he said he was encouraged by the quality of ideas generated at the forum and the commitment of stakeholders to pursue collective solutions. “I leave Cape Town hopeful about what we can build together through sustained engagement and shared purpose,” he added.
