Africa’s search for a new development story: From dependency to self-determination 

Nana Afadzinu, Executive Director – West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) In a conference room filled with activists, philanthropists, policy thinkers, and civil society leaders from across Africa, the conversations often returned to funding, development partnerships and changing global politics.

Yet beneath those discussions lay a deeper question, one that touched on history, identity, and the future of an entire continent: Why does Africa, despite its resources, talent, and resilience, still struggle to determine its own development priorities?

For three days in Accra, participants from across the continent grappled with that question, sometimes agreeing and sometimes challenging one another, but united by a growing belief that Africa can no longer afford to remain on the margins of decisions that affect its future.