Africa’s Future Depends on Building Institutions That Serve Its Own Development Needs

Africa must move beyond adopting foreign development models without adapting them to local realities and instead build institutions capable of delivering sustainable economic growth, accountable governance and opportunities for its people, according to Abdou Samb, President of the Abdou Samb Foundation and Honorary Ambassador of the Pan-African Parliament – Diaspora.

In his article, titled “Modernisation or Development: The Choice of a Regime,” Samb argues that the continent’s development crisis goes beyond access to loans, foreign investment and modern technology. He identifies the quality of governance, the management of public resources and the ability of African countries to establish effective institutions as critical factors determining their progress.

Samb distinguishes between modernisation, which often involves adopting systems and practices developed elsewhere, and development, which requires countries to build productive capacity and institutions suited to their own circumstances.

He maintains that Africa does not need to reject foreign ideas or technologies to achieve meaningful progress. Instead, governments must determine which approaches are appropriate for their societies and ensure that adopted systems produce measurable benefits.

The distinction, he argues, is particularly important in the management of public debt. Borrowing can support development when the money is invested in productive sectors such as electricity, roads, ports, manufacturing, irrigation, technology and human capital.

However, debt becomes a greater burden when loans are directed towards recurrent expenditure, political patronage and activities that generate little economic value. In such circumstances, future generations may inherit substantial repayment obligations without receiving the productive assets needed to support economic growth.

Samb therefore calls for greater responsibility in public borrowing, alongside stronger domestic revenue systems and more effective management of government expenditure. He also highlights the need to address external conditions that increase borrowing costs for African countries.

His argument places public accountability at the centre of the development debate. Weak taxation systems, poorly negotiated contracts and expenditure shaped by narrow political interests can undermine government finances and prevent public investment from delivering its intended benefits.

“Modernisation imports. Development invents,” Samb argues, emphasising that the value of a development model should be judged by its results rather than where it originated.

He maintains that modern budgeting systems, competitive procurement, industrial technology and professional public institutions can help African countries advance. However, such mechanisms may fail when political interests, family connections or powerful economic groups influence their operations.

Where public contracts are awarded without genuine competition, government resources are diverted to connected individuals or projects are designed to benefit a few people, institutions intended to promote development can become obstacles to progress.

Samb therefore argues that Africa’s difficulties cannot always be explained by the development models it adopts. The political systems and institutional arrangements governing their implementation are equally important.

“This is not a problem of model. It is a problem of regime,” he writes.

The article also examines the relationship between development and African identity. Drawing on the late scholar Ali Mazrui’s concept of Africa’s “triple heritage”, Samb considers the influence of indigenous African traditions, Islam and Western civilisation on the continent’s social and political development.

He argues that Africa can draw useful lessons from these traditions without allowing any single influence to determine its entire development direction. The objective, in his view, should be to build institutions that are modern, effective and responsive to African realities.

Samb also highlights Ubuntu and the African principle of collective responsibility as values that can contribute to stronger societies. He cautions, however, that cultural values must be supported by competence, merit and accountability if they are to translate into economic and institutional progress.

For him, public appointments and opportunities should not be determined primarily by family relationships, political loyalty or personal connections. Institutions must instead reward ability, responsibility and measurable performance.

He cites the experiences of China, Singapore, Malaysia and India as examples from which African countries can draw lessons about productive investment, institutional discipline and economic transformation.

Samb does not advocate copying these countries wholesale. Rather, he argues that African governments should examine their experiences, identify relevant lessons and adapt them to local conditions instead of assuming that a model successful elsewhere will automatically deliver similar results at home.

The role of Africa’s young population is another major element of his argument. Samb supports the proposal to recognise African youth as the African Union’s seventh region but insists that the idea must translate into meaningful participation rather than symbolic recognition.

He argues that young Africans should have access to resources, opportunities to propose policies, representation in decision-making and the authority to take responsibility for the outcomes of their initiatives.

Creating youth-focused structures without giving young people genuine influence, he maintains, would do little to change the conditions limiting their participation in governance and development.

Samb believes the continent’s young population can become a powerful force for economic and institutional transformation if young people are given the opportunity to challenge patronage-based systems and promote competence, accountability and innovation.

His position is that youth development should not be treated as a separate policy issue but as part of a broader effort to improve governance, strengthen institutions and expand productive opportunities across African societies.

Ultimately, Samb argues that modern infrastructure, new technologies and sophisticated government systems cannot guarantee prosperity on their own. Their impact depends on the institutions responsible for managing them and whether those institutions serve the public interest.

For African countries, the challenge is therefore to move beyond the appearance of modernisation and concentrate on building economies that generate productive employment, institutions that protect public resources and governments that deliver tangible benefits to citizens.

This requires political commitment, responsible borrowing, effective public administration and a willingness to place long-term national interests above short-term political gains.

Samb’s central argument is that Africa should remain open to useful ideas from around the world while developing its own capacity to determine priorities, manage resources and enforce the rules necessary for sustainable progress.

The continent’s future, he maintains, will depend not merely on the resources it possesses or the development models it adopts, but on its ability to build institutions that turn those resources and ideas into lasting opportunities for its people.