Africa must stop borrowing long-term development ideas without adapting them to its own history, culture and aspirations, Afrika Palava founder Tito Alai has said, challenging countries on the continent to take greater control of how they shape their future.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Thursday, Alai, who is also the director of Tendaworld Ltd, said African nations can study successful development models from other parts of the world but should use the lessons to create solutions that fit their own circumstances.
He questioned the close similarities between Kenya’s Vision 2030 and long-term plans adopted by countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying Africa needs to develop strategies that are firmly rooted in its own realities.
Alai said the continent should have the confidence to decide the role it wants to play in the changing global order instead of waiting for other powers to determine its future.
“Are we going to wait, or are we going to have some agency and say if there are going to be superpowers in 60 years, we want to be one of them as a block,” he said.
He argued that borrowing ideas from countries that have achieved strong economic and social progress should be about understanding what made those approaches successful rather than reproducing them word for word.
“One shouldn't actually copy. One should learn from. Why say learn from? When people talk about standing on the shoulders of giants, when people talk about understanding the dynamics of why people got to where they are, it is so that one, if you can ignite something that can work better for you, then we are now talking about reinventing the wheel,” Alai said.
The Afrika Palava founder said Africa should also recognise the role its people have played in the development of global knowledge and avoid treating its own ideas and innovations as less valuable.
He said the same thinking should guide the continent as it adopts new technologies, including artificial intelligence, with African societies expected to consider their own values and priorities when deciding how such tools should be used.
According to Alai, access to a common pool of human knowledge does not mean societies will use it in the same way. He said culture and values influence how different communities turn knowledge into practical solutions.
“My view is that then what determines who applies these bank of human accumulative knowledge better than the other, and it seems to me that it has to start with who are you and what are your values,” he said.
Alai said this question has become even more important as artificial intelligence develops and spreads across different parts of the world. While countries may have access to similar technologies, he said their use will be shaped by the values, needs and priorities of the societies adopting them.
He said Africa therefore needs to have its own conversation about how it wants to use AI and other emerging technologies instead of simply following approaches developed elsewhere.
Alai also said there is a need for platforms where Africans can openly discuss the continent’s long-term direction without discussions being dominated by everyday political issues.
He pointed to Afrika Palava as one such space, saying the platform can help create room for conversations about Africa’s identity, ideas, technology and future.