African leaders are set to discuss economic transformation, industrialisation, and climate change at a meeting in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. However, a more fundamental question remains unaddressed: what model of development does Africa truly want to adopt, and who will be held accountable for its implementation? For decades, Africa has opted for modernisation, importing models, systems, and institutions designed elsewhere, with mixed results and troubling underlying trends.
The consequences of this approach are evident in the continent's debt burden, with several countries dedicating up to 72% of their public revenue to debt service, and an average of 17% of revenues across African states. These figures are influenced by external factors, such as costly capital and conditionalities imposed by private creditors. However, internal factors, including weak tax systems, captured contracts, and budgets that prioritise the interests of the ruling apparatus over those of the public, also play a significant role.
The distinction between modernisation and development is crucial. Modernisation involves importing models and systems, whereas development involves inventing and building from within. While modernisation can bring benefits, it can also perpetuate dependence and reproduce existing power structures. In contrast, development requires the creation of new rules and institutions that promote accountability, meritocracy, and the collective good.
The African youth, recognised as the seventh region of the African Union, have a critical role to play in shaping the continent's development path. However, this region must be given a meaningful voice and representation in decision-making processes, as well as access to resources and opportunities. Without this, the youth region will remain an ornament, rather than a lever for change.
The Abdou Samb Foundation is committed to promoting talent and opportunity, and to building institutions that reward competence and punish failure. This approach is not about rejecting Western models or adopting a particular metaphysics, but rather about creating a system that is rooted in African values and promotes the collective good. Ubuntu, an African concept that emphasises power as responsibility and prosperity as a common good, offers a valuable framework for this endeavour.
Examples of successful development trajectories can be seen in Asia, where countries such as China, Singapore, and Malaysia have used tools and models to drive growth and industrialisation, while also promoting state discipline and a demand for results. These countries have not rejected calculation, competition, and competence, but have rather used these principles to drive development and accountability.
The choice between modernisation and development is not an abstract binary, but a choice of regime: responsibility or impunity, tools in the service of a project, or tools captured by a network. African youth have a critical role to play in shaping this choice and promoting a development path that is rooted in African values and promotes the collective good. By giving youth a meaningful voice and representation, Africa can create a more just and equitable society, and one that is capable of holding its leaders accountable for their actions.
Key points
- African leaders must choose between modernisation and development as they seek to drive economic transformation and industrialisation.
- The African youth have a critical role to play in shaping the continent's development path and promoting accountability and meritocracy.
- Development requires the creation of new rules and institutions that promote accountability, meritocracy, and the collective good.
