October 23, 2025

Watch the podcast above hosted by Matthew Ehret, risingtidefoundation.net, scholar, Dr. Uchenna Ekwo, and Lawrence Freeman for a discussion of Africa’s future in a multi-polar world, conducted on October 5, 2025,

The future for Africa lies in the new dynamic of the Global South and the expansion of the BRICS. For the majority of the past century, Western nations have primarily seen Africa as a looting ground to extract natural resources, in particular fossil fuels-hydrocarbons. In the existing non-reversible multipolar world, there are now new possibilities for real economic growth, driven by investments in infrastructure, especially electricity and expansion of rail lines.

The current ruling political financial elites, presently referred to as the “rules-based international order,” are declining in their hegemony over the planet. They have lost their dominance over Africa and their policy to counter China in Africa. There policies advocated by both Democrat and Republican administrations, have failed, and will continue to fail. Presently, Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Africa are full members of the BRICS, and Nigeria Uganda and Algeria are partners of the BRICS. The BRICS, the leading institution of the Global South, whose membership of African nations will likely increase in the future.

These global tectonic shifts towards new institutions in a changing multi-polar world, offer Africa a unique opportunity to increase African agency in determining their own future. There are many good proposals for Africa’s future, such as the African Union ”Agenda 2063,” and the “African Continental Free Trade Area” agreement. However, these policies will not succeed unless there is a massive expansion of investment in critical areas of hard infrastructure, most especially electricity, and rail lines across the continent.

Democracy, peace, and prosperity will only be aspirational unless the type of infrastructure programs that I discuss in the podcast above, are implemented in a concerted way by the nations of Africa. The reality is that the development of Africa, the building of a manufacturing sector and industry, and expansion of agriculture, which will lead to an increased standard of living for the population, is the only pathway forward to achieving peace, stability, and prosperity. Policies emanating from the West have for decades either not understood this principle of physical economy or opposed it. The former is gross ignorance; the latter is pure evil. In either case, the reality, evident by their refusal to fund infrastructure projects is; the West has not supported development, i.e., true economic growth for Africa (and other underdeveloped nations).

When President Franklin Roosevelt died, so did his intention to have the “International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) to become a financial institution to provide low interest capital for developing sector nations. I have proposed the creation of an “Africa Infrastructure Development Bank,” to provide long term, low interest credit for construction of vital infrastructure projects on the African continent. Such a new credit lending institution would be coherent with the calls by the Global South for a new financial architecture that would correspond to the multi-polar world’s commitment to create a new paradigm for economic growth.

Read below my earlier posst on this topic.

• Leaders Emphasize Rail & Electricity is Pathway to Industrialization of Nigeria
• Railroad Expansion Imperative, Not Optional, For the Future of Nigeria and Africa
• For the Development of Africa: Know and Apply Franklin Roosevelt’s Credit Policy

Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, consultant on Africa, and an analyst of global strategic relations. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, also publishes on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World, and on X @lfreemansafrica