Despite the debilitating legacies of slavery and colonialism that continue to hold our continent and perpetuate global geopolitical and economic imbalances, I think Africa will inevitably rise like those many heads of the hydra whereby you strike one and another one that is twice as strong emerges.

We need a global order that will release Africa from the shackles of dependency, from a State in which Africa is unable to make its own decisions. We need to return Africa to a state of self-reliance.

Africa has the potential to break free from the constraints of its past.

Let us not allow our past to imprison us forever, let us do away with the challenges and forge ahead to lift Africa up for a brighter future .

Africa does not have an uncle abroad who will come to bail it out of its political and economic woes. It is important that African countries wake up and pool whatever resources they have and jointly deal elements pulling our continent down a death blow.

Africa Rising is as much about improving standards of governance as it is about an increasingly confident youths and civil society. It is also about businessmen and women who are stepping beyond national borders and going global.

A new era will dawn in Africa, when the impoverished masses of a nation rise up to rescue their right to a decent life from the hands of the ruling oligarchies.

African countries must work together with the global community to lift the continent out of poverty. But they should also focus on leveraging their abundant resources and young and dynamic populations.

The solution will come with Africans themselves.

The post COVID-19 global economic architecture is going to be a radically different one. It will usher in more self-reliance by countries in the production of goods and services. We in Africa have to get ready for this future.

Africa’s progress will depend on development that truly lifts countries from poverty to prosperity -- because people everywhere deserve the dignity of a life free from want.

Africa's future belongs to its young people

Africa’s progress will depend on unleashing economic growth -- not just for the few at the top, but for the many, because an essential element of dignity is being able to live a decent life. That begins with a job. And that requires trade and investment.

Stand up, rise up and push forward for a better Africa. Nobody is going to do this for us. We need to do it for ourselves”.