Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent 2025-2030
Brookings, 14 January 2025
2025 will be a critical juncture for Africa’s trajectory. New political leadership in both the African Union and the United States coincides with the urgent need to meet the looming 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and to modernize and renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act—a cornerstone of the U.S. Africa trade relationship—currently set to expire in September 2025. Paired with an escalating climate crisis and the reverberations of conflict and global economic instability, these dynamics will require bold and coordinated policy action to address Africa’s unique challenges while leveraging its vast potential.
This special edition of Foresight Africa—the flagship annual report of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings—extends its focus from one year to five and offers cutting-edge insights and actionable strategies from heads of government, global institutions, continental and multilateral institutions, as well as leading Brookings scholars and other high-profile policymakers, business figures, and civil society leaders.
Together, the report’s six chapters offer a comprehensive vision for Africa’s next chapter—a future driven by African leadership, bold innovation, and inclusive growth.
As 2025 dawns, many African countries enter the new year with a sense of cautious optimism, balancing considerable progress with persistent vulnerabilities. 2025 also marks five years to the target date set for the 2030 agenda and achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). While meeting the targets of the SDGs was always an ambitious goal, many African countries suffered considerable setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, eroding decades of development gains and stymieing progress.
Despite these challenges, opportunities abound for Africa to make a meaningful “last mile” push towards attaining the SDGs. With the right policies and by capitalizing on its internal strengths—including human capital, natural resources, digital innovation, and regional integration—Africa can turn the tide and reshape the continent’s development trajectory.
On January 14, the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings Global launched a special edition of its flagship report, “Foresight Africa: Top priorities for Africa 2025-2030,” focusing on Africa’s progress toward achieving the SDGs. Five years out from the target deadline, the report takes stock of the achievements made, challenges faced, and identify concrete actions that will accelerate Africa’s sustainable development progress.
This year’s launch event featured remarks from Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda H.E. Édouard Ngirente, President of the Republic of Botswana H.E. Duma Boko, Minister of Minerals and Energy for the Republic of Botswana Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, U.S. Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla), and Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana of the Republic of Rwanda. The event also included a high-level lineup of experts to offer insights on unlocking the region’s economic potential, achieving the SDGs, empowering women and girls, the role of good governance and citizenship in service delivery, bolstering Africa’s relations with the world, and the diverse role of technology in approaching these important issues.
To download the full report, visit: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Foresight-Africa-2025-2030-Full-report.pdf
Disclaimer
The opinion expressed in this paper is that of the author and does not necessarily reflect that of CEMAS Board.
