{"id":7278,"date":"2025-03-14T15:31:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/?p=7278"},"modified":"2025-03-14T15:31:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T15:31:14","slug":"looking-towards-an-african-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/","title":{"rendered":"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-size: 14pt\">The world is shifting. We are talking, politically, technologically, and economically. Old global structures are being redefined, and at the heart of this transformation lies Africa: young, resource-rich, and brimming with innovation. No longer just a continent of potential, Africa is actively shaping the future.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-size: 14pt\">With the African Development Bank (AfDB) projecting an expected 4% annual GDP growth over the next decade, Africa\u2019s economic momentum is undeniable. Internet penetration has skyrocketed, fueling a digital revolution that is connecting businesses and consumers like never before. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is set to create a $3.4 trillion market, redefining trade and investment across the continent. Meanwhile, tech startups are attracting record-breaking funding, highlighting Africa\u2019s position as a hub for innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-size: 14pt\">Yet, growth must be inclusive. SMEs, which, by the way, drive 80% of employment, need better access to capital and markets. Women and young entrepreneurs still face barriers in funding, employment, and digital access. Investing in broadband, financial inclusion, and sustainable infrastructure is not just necessary, it\u2019s urgent.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-size: 14pt\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/\">Tony Elumelu Foundation<\/a> has demonstrated how empowering entrepreneurs can drive lasting economic change. By investing over $100 million in young business owners, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and lifting millions out of poverty since 2010, the Foundation has set a blueprint for sustainable growth. More importantly, it proves that Africa\u2019s development is best driven from within, with partnerships built on collaboration rather than outdated donor-recipient models.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-size: 14pt\">As we move deeper into what many call the \u201cAfrican Century,\u201d the world must rethink how it engages with Africa. This is not a continent waiting for aid but a powerhouse ready to lead. The key to lasting success? Equitable partnerships, investment in local talent, and a recognition that Africa\u2019s rise benefits everyone. The future is not just happening to Africa, Africa is shaping the future.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Roboto', sans-serif;font-size: 14pt\">For more insights on this article from our Group Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu, CFR, go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldgovernmentssummit.org\/observer\/articles\/detail\/looking-towards-an-african-century\">World Governments Summit<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world is shifting. We are talking, politically, technologically, and economically. Old global structures are being redefined, and at the heart of this transformation lies Africa: young, resource-rich, and brimming with innovation. No longer just a continent of potential, Africa is actively shaping the future. With the African Development Bank (AfDB) projecting an expected 4% [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":221,"featured_media":7113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lion-king"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.6 (Yoast SEO v24.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY | UBA Lion King Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The world is shifting. We are talking, politically, technologically, and economically. Old global structures are being redefined, and at the heart of this transformation lies Africa: young, resource-rich, and brimming with innovation. No longer just a continent of potential, Africa is actively shaping the future. With the African Development Bank (AfDB) projecting an expected 4% [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UBA Lion King Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-14T15:31:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-14T15:31:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ubaeditorco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ubaeditorco\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/\",\"name\":\"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY | UBA Lion King Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-14T15:31:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-14T15:31:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#\/schema\/person\/164b1c11e43e1d8638f91864f0de13db\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667,\"caption\":\"Tony Elumelu at World Governments Summit\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/\",\"name\":\"UBA Lion King Blog\",\"description\":\"UBA Official Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#\/schema\/person\/164b1c11e43e1d8638f91864f0de13db\",\"name\":\"ubaeditorco\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e907f6471deddca9bf8889b25b06a395?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e907f6471deddca9bf8889b25b06a395?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ubaeditorco\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/author\/ubaeditorco\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY | UBA Lion King Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY","og_description":"The world is shifting. We are talking, politically, technologically, and economically. Old global structures are being redefined, and at the heart of this transformation lies Africa: young, resource-rich, and brimming with innovation. No longer just a continent of potential, Africa is actively shaping the future. With the African Development Bank (AfDB) projecting an expected 4% [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/","og_site_name":"UBA Lion King Blog","article_published_time":"2025-03-14T15:31:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-14T15:31:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"ubaeditorco","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ubaeditorco","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/","name":"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY | UBA Lion King Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-03-14T15:31:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-14T15:31:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#\/schema\/person\/164b1c11e43e1d8638f91864f0de13db"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2024-11-04-at-08.49.26.jpeg","width":1000,"height":667,"caption":"Tony Elumelu at World Governments Summit"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/looking-towards-an-african-century\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"LOOKING TOWARDS AN AFRICAN CENTURY"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/","name":"UBA Lion King Blog","description":"UBA Official Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#\/schema\/person\/164b1c11e43e1d8638f91864f0de13db","name":"ubaeditorco","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e907f6471deddca9bf8889b25b06a395?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e907f6471deddca9bf8889b25b06a395?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ubaeditorco"},"url":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/author\/ubaeditorco\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7278"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7279,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7278\/revisions\/7279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ubagroup.com\/57-marina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}