A plea to opt for the first of the three concluding approaches of the VUB/DGD report: the soft approach by the modern manufacturing industrialisation of Africa. Without making systemic changes in advance, foreign private investment and AU-EU partnerships between established industrial SMEs are realising Africa's development. They create ten million decent jobs every year and trigger systemic changes: capacity building, participation, inclusion and democratic processes. Poverty, inequalities, child labour, gender inequality, corruption and a lack of governance are just symptoms of a lack of inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

 Seen from Europe with Africa in mind, the conclusion of the VUB report translates as follows: "African countries must take the lead in their future and tackle global challenges together with Europe." (Climate - Pandemics - Energy - War in Europe - Ageing of industrialised countries - Africa demographics).

Africa denounces the duality of European appeals for “solidarity” on the one hand, and the fact that this same Europe - imposing leonine contracts - continues to buy African raw materials to create jobs and wealth in Europe, thereby perpetuating that 80% of its population is deprived of decent “work”.

Africa wants to transform its natural resources locally into exportable products and thus create more jobs annually than its demographic growth and prevent forced migration. A broadly educated Africa is aware of having the necessary theoretical knowledge but suffers from a lack of practical experience with complex manufacturing processes. Therefore, its search for "win-win" direct foreign investors and partnerships with established international industrial SMEs.

“In both Belgium and partner countries, the colonial approach permeates all levels of development aid.”

Or to put it another way: "Actors from Africa must determine their own future and, together with homologues from industrialised countries, take new paths to address global challenges."

Participants in the VUB study of partner countries believe that the Belgian system of development cooperation suffers from insufficient knowledge of the local socioeconomic, political and ecological context of its target countries. This translates into actions aimed at relieving the symptoms and not at the causes.  Had it already dawned on all 70 Belgian participants in the study that (1) even the most unstable Sub-Saharan countries can bow to an educated, empowered middle class that is aware of being at the wheel and can choose between East and West? - (2) that Africa wants to create 10 million 'formal' jobs every year and therefore is concerned about “jobs”, not decolonisation, solidarity, human rights, governance or SDGs? – and (3) that despite sixty years of development aid, more than eighty percent of the African population still is deprived of social rights?

Putting Act at the CenTre

Contrary to the fears of participants in the study from the aid industry (sic), another Africa - of the higher educated - does have a voice in the debate and is convinced that only an inclusive and sustainable manufacturing industrialisation of Africa can structurally remedy the root causes of poverty and is possible and urgently needed.

This Africa wants to move swiftly into action by fostering partnerships between established industrial SMEs from Africa and Europe. (Africa's advanced industrialisation in four phases).

It believes in the importance of a “métissage” of skills: capacity sharing & walking uncharted path & mutual learning.

We want our natural resources, with the help of European experience and technologies, to be processed locally into exportable products. Only in this way will we be able to create more decent jobs each year than our population growth and curb poverty and forced migration. The entire planet gains with local manufacturing in the short chain, with the help of our abundant green solar and hydro energy. Your shareholders must also benefit. That is why we help them, if desired, to repatriate parts of the realised profits. We live at 14km from each other, speak the same languages and have known each other for more than a hundred years. This facilitates win-win negotiations between equals.'

“Europe dégage!”

In times of the current polycrisis "Climate – Energy – War in Europe – Ageing of the West – Demographic explosion Africa", an important educated African civil society (1) is aware of its assets but (2) also of the need to learn from industrialised countries. A non-insignificant part of African youth goes beyond the above-mentioned pragmatic vision of 900 highly educated engineers and agronomists. "Europe dégage" that is what they write on the walls in Africa’s capitals.

Paternalistic Europe should be aware that half of African countries did NOT sign the UN motion condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This new Africa, endowed with a strong outspokenness, is aware that it can choose between East and West.