Liberian President Joseph Boakai urged African leaders and investors on Tuesday to reclaim the continent’s place in shaping the emerging global order, warning that Africa’s vast natural wealth too often enriches foreign interests while leaving its people behind.
Speaking at the MEDays Forum — billed as “the Davos of the Global South” and hosted by the Amadeus Institute — Boakai said history offers a stark lesson: while Africans were once taken from the continent, today “there is a growing risk that this time Africa may be taken away from Africans.”
He called on African states to move from passive observers to “architects” of global policy and economic arrangements.
Boakai outlined four priorities for strengthening Africa’s influence: geopolitics, security, economic governance and regional integration.
On geopolitics he urged greater unity and a stronger collective voice in international institutions, so African positions reflect local realities rather than external agendas.
On security, the Liberian president warned that fragmentation fuels threats ranging from terrorism and trafficking to cyberattacks and piracy.
He urged improved intelligence sharing, professionalized security forces and reinforced regional alliances, saying peace is the foundation of influence and development.
Economic governance was a central focus of the address. Boakai criticized extractive models that export raw materials while leaving little value on the continent, and called for policies that promote processing, industrialization and meaningful local ownership.
“No nation has developed by exporting raw materials alone,” he said, urging nations to negotiate fairer deals and to ensure natural resources “uplift the people of Africa first.”
Boakai also pressed for faster implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area and harmonization of laws and standards to boost intra-African trade.
He emphasized the need for infrastructure — roads, rail, ports, energy and digital networks to knit the continent together and amplify its bargaining power.
Addressing investors, Boakai said responsible partners can accelerate shared prosperity by investing in value creation, equity and local participation, and by upholding environmental and governance standards.
“When investors adopt this approach, Africans are no longer bystanders,” he said.
He closed with an often-quoted proverb: “Until the lion learns to speak, every story will glorify the hunter,” framing the moment as one of renewed African assertion.
“Today, Africa is learning to speak. Africa is shaping its own narrative. Africa is claiming ownership of its place in the world,” he said.
Boakai’s intervention comes amid intensifying debates over global power shifts, competition for strategic minerals and growing calls within Africa for economic sovereignty and stronger continental coordination.
