• Africa must transition from symbolic influence to active leadership on global platforms.
• AU reform, peace architecture, and AfCFTA implementation are crucial levers for power.
• Mineral sovereignty, unity, and assertive diplomacy are essential to securing Africa’s future.

As 2025 unfolds, Africa stands at a pivotal crossroads. The infrastructure we construct, the alliances we forge, and the decisions we make now will determine whether the continent remains a passive actor or asserts itself as a global power.

The world is shifting. The previously unchallenged dominance of a few nations is giving way to a multipolar system. The Global South is organizing, and Africa must be part of this momentum. If we fail to define our own agenda and claim our place in decision-making arenas, others will continue to dictate our course.

Encouraging signals of continental awakening are already visible. The African Union's integration into the G20 in 2023 and the inclusion of Egypt and Ethiopia in the BRICS bloc reflect Africa's rising geopolitical relevance. Symbolic gains have also been made—such as the election of Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Leigh Coventry as the first female head of the International Olympic Committee—but symbolic victories must give way to real influence.

This shift must begin with the African Union (AU), which remains our collective platform for diplomacy. The 2025 election of a new President and Vice President of the African Commission presents an opportunity to instill fresh momentum in the AU’s mission. It must lead the charge for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council—a long-overdue reform, given Africa’s 55 member states and its 1.4 billion citizens.

Changes in leadership at the African Development Bank and Afreximbank later this year should be seized to promote candidates with clear, ambitious, and coordinated visions for the continent. Unity is not just aspirational—it is strategic. A divided Africa weakens its voice, its priorities, and its leverage.

Security remains another pressing frontier. Since the UN’s Resolution 2719 in 2023, the AU has been recognized as a legitimate peacekeeping actor. With ten missions across seventeen countries and more than 70,000 authorized personnel, we must now fund the Peace Fund, strengthen the Peace and Security Council, and establish a rapid-response emergency force to address crises swiftly and independently.

This capacity is urgently needed to address ongoing emergencies—from the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, to fragile peace in Ethiopia, the war in Sudan, the spread of terrorism in Mali and Mozambique, and the need to revive diplomacy in the Sahel. These are African challenges that demand African solutions.

Economically, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) must scale up in 2025. It is our primary tool to boost intra-African trade, improve competitiveness, and engage with the global market on stronger terms. This is critical at a time when global public debt has surpassed $100 trillion, making financial capital more scarce and expensive. Without a coordinated economic project, Africa risks being sidelined once again.

We must also forge coalitions to reclaim value from our natural resources. National efforts in the DRC, Guinea, and the Sahel have begun rebalancing value creation. Yet, only coordinated pricing, aligned strategy, and transparent intra-African cooperation can shift control back to the continent—especially in critical mineral markets underpinning the digital economy and energy transition.

2025 should be the year we begin asserting full diplomatic, security, and economic sovereignty. Africa must cease being a playground for external influence and become a strategic actor in its own right. This is not just a continental imperative—it is a generational obligation. The youth of Africa are not asking to witness change. They demand the right to lead it.

Africa does not ask for permission to exist. It demands to be heard.

— Jeanine Mabunda is a Congolese politician, public affairs expert, and consultant. She previously served as President of the DRC’s National Assembly and is actively involved in advancing women’s rights and combating sexual violence.