Sam Jonah’s Open Letter to the African Union: A Urgent Call for Unity and Economic Sovereignty

In a powerful and timely intervention, Sir Sam Jonah, the renowned Ghanaian mining executive and philanthropist, has penned an open letter to the Heads of State of the African Union. The letter, published by Life Pulse Daily, transcends a typical advisory note. It is a seismic wake-up call, framing contemporary geopolitical rhetoric—specifically a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—as a stark reminder of persistent neocolonial ambitions. Jonah’s message is unequivocal: the formal end of colonial rule did not end the exploitation of Africa. He argues that the continent faces a confluence of severe threats—conflict, debt, climate change, and democratic erosion—that can only be overcome through unprecedented unity, aggressive economic integration via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and an unapologetic prioritization of African interests. This analysis unpacks the letter’s core arguments, historical context, actionable recommendations, and its profound implications for Africa’s future trajectory.

Key Points: The Urgent Agenda for African Leaders

Sir Sam Jonah’s letter distills a complex geopolitical and economic diagnosis into a clear, actionable mandate for the African Union. The following points capture the essential directives and warnings:

• Geopolitical Wake-Up Call: Rhetoric from global powers signaling a desire to revert to imperial dominance confirms that Africa’s independence is viewed by some as an “inconvenience,” necessitating a unified continental defense of sovereignty.
• Interconnected Threats: The continent’s challenges—armed conflict (Sahel, Sudan, Horn of Africa), sovereign debt distress, climate shocks, democratic backsliding, and youth unrest—are not isolated but form a “web” that demands a coordinated response.
• AfCFTA as the Cornerstone: Accelerating the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area is presented as the single most critical strategy for achieving economic sovereignty, reducing dependency, and boosting intra-African trade.
• Beyond Tariffs: True integration requires the swift ratification and enforcement of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons to unlock the potential of the African labor market and service sector.
• Shift from Donor Dependency: Leaders must pursue “unashamed selfishness” by building self-financing development models, adding value to raw materials locally, and reforming fiscal policies to manage debt.
• Institutional and Human Capital Renewal: Addressing governance crises, corruption, and inequality is non-negotiable to harness the energy of a young population and prevent state fragmentation.
• Unified Foreign Policy: Africa must speak with one voice in global forums like the G20 to negotiate partnerships from a position of strength, rejecting neocolonial conditionalities.

Background: The Historical Echo of Neocolonialism

From Colonial Chains to Economic Dependencies

To understand Jonah’s urgency, one must situate his letter within the long arc of Africa’s post-independence struggle. The period following the 1960s “Wind of Change” saw the formal dismantling of colonial empires. However, as scholars like Walter Rodney (How Europe Underdeveloped Africa) and later analysts of globalization argued, political independence often gave way to neocolonialism—a condition where former colonial powers and new global actors maintained economic control through trade imbalances, debt, corporate dominance, and support for compliant regimes.

The African Union’s foundational documents, from the Lagos Plan of Action (1980) to the Abuja Treaty (1991), explicitly identified this challenge, calling for collective self-reliance and regional integration as antidotes. Yet, progress has been halting. Regional Economic Communities (RECs) like ECOWAS, SADC, and COMESA have achieved varying levels of integration, but the vision of a seamless continental market remained largely aspirative until the AfCFTA negotiations concluded.

The AfCFTA: A Historic, Imperfect Instrument

The African Continental Free Trade Area, agreed in 2018 and operational from 2021, is the most ambitious integration project in Africa’s history. It aims to create a single market for goods and services, facilitate investment, and promote industrial development. As of early 2025, 49 of the AU’s 55 member states have deposited their instruments of ratification. Guided trade began in 2021, and tariff reductions on 90% of goods are underway.

However, Jonah highlights the glaring gap between ratification and tangible impact. Intra-African trade remains stubbornly low, hovering at approximately 16% of total African exports, compared to nearly 60% within the European Union. This statistic underscores the “blueprint versus bustling market” problem. Non-tariff barriers, infrastructural deficits (particularly in energy and transport), cumbersome customs procedures, and the unresolved Protocol on Free Movement of Persons continue to stifle the agreement’s transformative potential.

Analysis: The Confluence of 21st Century Threats

Jonah masterfully connects a specific provocative speech to a matrix of continental vulnerabilities, arguing they are synergistic rather than additive.

1. The Rubio Speech as a Catalyst

Secretary Rubio’s remarks at the Munich Security Conference, lamenting the “terminal decline” of the West due to “godless communist revolutions and anti-colonial uprisings” and urging Europe to shed “guilt and shame” to reclaim a dominant place, are interpreted by Jonah not as historical musing but as a contemporary geopolitical signal. The subtext, he argues, is that the post-1945 anti-colonial order is seen as a temporary setback. This rhetoric validates long-held fears of a renewed scramble for Africa’s resources and strategic positioning in a multipolar world, where the continent risks being “at the menu” if not “at the table.”

2. The Threat Web: Conflict, Climate, and Capital

• Security Fragmentation: The letter correctly identifies that conflicts in the Sahel (expanding jihadist influence), Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region are not contained. They fuel displacement, humanitarian crises, and cross-border instability, often exacerbated by external interference and state weakness. The African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) is frequently under-resourced and reactive.
• Debt and Fiscal Vulnerability: Many African nations face severe debt distress. Rising global interest rates and a strong U.S. dollar have increased debt servicing costs, diverting funds from health, education, and infrastructure. This creates a vicious cycle where countries borrow more to service old debt, increasing vulnerability to debt-trap diplomacy accusations and conditionalities from bilateral and multilateral creditors.
• Climate Change as a Risk Multiplier: Africa contributes least to global emissions but suffers disproportionately. Devastating floods (e.g., East Africa 2023-2024), droughts (Horn of Africa), and changing rainfall patterns directly impact food security, primarily for the 60%+ of the population engaged in agriculture. This fuels internal migration, social unrest, and competition over scarce resources, often along ethnic or pastoralist-farmer lines.
• Democratic Erosion and Youth Bulge: The letter astutely connects governance failures—corruption, electoral manipulation, repression—to the rise of youth-led protests (from Sudan’s ousting of Bashir to recent demonstrations in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana). A young, connected, and unemployed population is losing patience with systems that perpetuate elite capture and economic stagnation, creating a powder keg for instability.

3. The Failed Dependency Model

Jonah’s core thesis is that the current model—raw material export, manufactured goods import, aid dependency, and concessionary financing—is a trap. This model leaves Africa vulnerable to price shocks in commodities (oil, minerals, cocoa), prevents the development of value-added industries, and often comes with political conditionalities that undermine policy sovereignty. The shift in U.S. foreign aid and trade policy under different administrations exemplifies this volatility. The call for “unashamed selfishness” is a rhetorical demand for a fundamental reorientation toward internal value chains and intra-continental commerce.

Practical Advice: A Roadmap for Action

The letter is not merely a critique; it is a manual for change. Jonah proposes a concrete, prioritized agenda:

Forge a True Single Market

• Fast-Track AfCFTA’s “Second Generation” Issues: Move beyond tariff cuts to urgently conclude negotiations on rules of origin (to prevent trade deflection), e-commerce, competition policy, and intellectual property. These are the rules that will govern the 21st-century digital and services economy.
• Invest in Trade Infrastructure: This means not just roads and ports, but also digital trade platforms, one-stop border posts (OSBPs) to cut clearance times, and regional power pools to address the critical energy deficit that makes manufacturing uncompetitive.
• Targeted Industrial Policy: Use the AfCFTA’s tariff protections strategically to nurture sectors with comparative advantage and potential for scale—agro-processing, light manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and digital services—aiming to boost manufactured goods exports by over 50% within a decade.

Unlock the Power of Free Movement

The Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment is the AfCFTA’s most politically sensitive but economically vital component. Its ratification and implementation would:

• Allow skilled professionals (doctors, engineers, IT specialists) to move where they are needed, addressing skills gaps.
• Enable entrepreneurs to establish businesses across borders, fostering a pan-African business class.
• Create a larger, more integrated labor market that can attract foreign direct investment (FDI) seeking continental scale.

Leaders must depoliticize this issue, addressing security concerns through enhanced cooperation, not walls.

Build Fiscal and Climate Resilience

• Debt Management and Domestic Resource Mobilization: Implement credible fiscal consolidation plans, combat illicit financial flows (estimated at tens of billions annually), and reform tax systems to broaden the base. This reduces reliance on external borrowing.
• Strategic Use of Natural Resources: Move from raw mineral and hydrocarbon export to local beneficiation and value addition. This requires partnerships that include technology transfer and skills development, not just extraction.
• Climate-Smart Agriculture: Fully implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) with a focus on drought-resistant crops, irrigation, and post-harvest storage to build food security and create rural jobs.

Renew the Social Contract with Youth

Gen Z protests are not just about jobs; they are about dignity, transparency, and a future. Leaders must:

• Engage in genuine dialogue, not suppression.
• Invest massively in education aligned with market needs (STEM, vocational skills).
• Create enabling environments for startups and SMEs through access to finance and regulatory simplification.
• Strengthen independent institutions—auditors, electoral commissions, judiciaries—to fight corruption and ensure meritocracy, restoring faith in the state.

Coordinate a Unified Foreign Policy

The African Union must develop a cohesive position on major global issues—climate finance, debt restructuring, international tax rules, security partnerships. This means moving beyond individual nation-state negotiations with China, the EU, or the U.S. to present a common front. The AU’s admission to the G20 is a step, but it must be leveraged to secure concrete reforms in global financial architecture (like the World Bank and IMF) that better represent Africa’s interests.

FAQ: Addressing Common Questions

Is the AfCFTA already working? Why is progress so slow?

The AfCFTA is legally in force and tariff reductions are happening, but its economic impact is minimal so far because the harder issues—non-tariff barriers, standards harmonization, infrastructure, and especially the free movement of people—are politically difficult and require massive national-level reforms. Progress is uneven, with some RECs (like COMESA) advancing faster than others. The “slow pace” Jonah decries is due to a lack of political courage to tackle sensitive sovereignty issues like border control and domestic regulatory alignment.

Is “unashamed selfishness” a viable or ethical foreign policy?

Jonah uses provocative language to counter a history of