“A Better Africa for All: Building Trust and Empowering People”
IB
Mar 07, 2025·By International Brand Growers Africa
Victoria Forum Casablanca Round 2025 “A Better Africa for All: Building Trust and Empowering People” 17th and 18th February 2025
The following blog was inspired by the highly salient speeches and the discussions between the truly qualified speakers and a very implicated audience at the Victoria Forum, held at the beautiful ESCA premises in Casblanca.
Suggestions for Building Trust and Sustainable Development in Africa This paper analyses the critical challenges and opportunities facing African development through the lens of trust-building and sustainable governance. Based on insights from the Victoria Forum Casablanca Round 2025 at ESCA and our own research, we have identified four interconnected pillars that are crucial for Africa’s future: · Trust restoration, · Youth empowerment, · Technological sovereignty, and · Institutional reform. Our analysis suggests that Africa’s development challenges are fundamentally tied to trust deficits at multiple levels - from local governance to international partnerships.
Preamble: The Nature of Trust Trust as a benchmark for selecting partners and allies has been progressively and actively eroded in Harvardian management teachings around the globe, whether it be in business or international relations. How often do we hear : “Trust no one – I don’t”. “You can’t trust anyone (any more)…” In many so-called democratic and developed countries, people no longer trust their political representatives, viewing dishonesty as a given among politicians. This issue is even more pronounced in Africa. Trust is, nonetheless, a fundamental, psychological and social mechanism that enables cooperative behaviour by reducing uncertainty in human interactions. It represents a willingness to be vulnerable to another party’s actions based on the expectation of positive behaviour, regardless of the ability to monitor or control that other party. Trust is based on positive expectations of others’ intentions and actions, maintained through consistent behaviour and mutual benefit, and strengthened through transparent communication and shared values. The concept of predictability is crucial to trust as it reduces uncertainty and enables trust-building. However, trust goes beyond mere predictability. As Saul Klein suggests, it includes an element of “leap of faith”, as to the other’s good intentions.
A. Building and Maintaining Trust Trust development typically follows a pattern: · Initial assessment based on reputation and signals · Small cooperative exchanges · Gradual increase in vulnerability and stake · Reinforcement through consistent behaviour · Development of shared norms and expectations
B. Key Factors in Trust Maintenance: · Consistency between words and actions · Transparent communication · Reciprocity · Accountability · Shared values and goals
C. Measurement and Predictability While trust itself is subjective, several indicators can be measured: · Frequency of cooperative behaviour · Risk-taking in relationships · Self-reported trust levels · Economic transaction costs · Social capital metrics
Key philosophical perspectives: · Annette Baier defines trust as “accepted vulnerability to another’s possible but not expected ill will” · Onora O’Neill argues that trust must be placed thoughtfully and selectively, not blindly · Francis Fukuyama describes trust as the expectation of regular, honest, and cooperative behaviour based on shared norms
Strategic Recommendations for African Development: A Comprehensive Framework
Current State Analysis As emphasized by Saul Klein, trust serves as both the “glue and lubricant” of society, operating through three key dimensions: · Reliability to fulfil promises · Relational aspects - caring about stakeholders · Responsible practices - environmental and employee treatment
The crisis of trust manifests across multiple dimensions, with speakers highlighting specific challenges: · Institutional mistrust evidenced by widespread youth emigration (Mohammed Abdirizak’s personal narrative of leaving Somalia illustrates this) · Resource management opacity (Moubarak Lo’s analysis of Ghana’s gold revenue management - 130 tons annually with limited transparency. Note : Official numbers indicate lower amounts which would warrant scrutiny. It should be noted that the World Gold Councils statistics on reserves are in ounces.) · Leadership accountability deficits (Lo’s observation that “power ends up believing it owns the country”) · Technology adoption challenges (Jaloul Ayed’s warning about AI democratization through Deepseek)
Of particular concern is Mohammed Abdirizak’s stark reminder that “30,000 young Africans died in the Mediterranean” over the past decade, highlighting the human cost of failed trust in domestic opportunities.
Regarding African nations building trust-based relationships:
1. Internal Trust Building · Strengthen democratic institutions · Enhance transparency in governance · Develop regional cooperation frameworks · Invest in education and human capital
2. External Partnership Strategy · Diversify international partnerships beyond traditional colonial relationships · Develop multilateral agreements protecting resource sovereignty · Build strategic alliances with emerging economies · Leverage collective bargaining power through regional blocks
3. Resource Control Mechanisms · Develop local expertise in resource management · Establish transparent resource governance · Create value-added processing capabilities · Strengthen legal frameworks for resource contractsPrioritized Recommendations and Analysis In the spirit of the Forum’s apparent collective opinion that if Africa is to succeed… Africa “needs to act NOW” :
A. Immediate Critical Actions 1. AI Strategy Development and Implementation Key Insights: · Jaloul Ayed warned that “offshore sector in Tunisia attracted by cheap labour may ‘reshore’ using robotics” · Call centre industry faces “life-threatening changes” from chatbots · Only 10 countries in Africa have an AI strategy
Infrastructure Development (Months 6-18) · Build regional data centres · Establish high-speed internet corridors · Create AI research hubs in major universities
3. Workforce Development (Months 12-24) · Implement AI literacy programs · Create AI specialization tracks in universities · Develop industry-academia partnerships
Youth Employment Crisis ResponseKey Insights: · Thami Ghorfi: “Africa needs 100 million entrepreneurs” · Luis Filipe Tavares emphasized the importance of “giving tools for youth to create their enterprises” · Mohammed Abdirizak highlighted the “gig economy success in Kenya”
2. Skills Development Program (Months 3-18) · Launch digital skills bootcamps · Create vocational training centres · Establish industry partnerships
3. Regional Mobility Enhancement (Months 6-24) · Streamline visa processes · Create regional job markets · Establish cross-border training programs
B. High-Impact Strategic Initiatives
1. Health System Transformation Key Insights: · Adel Guitouni: “EU healthcare is collapsing; imagine the problem for Africa” · WHO representative, Kenza Zerrou, highlighted that “training a doctor in Morocco costs 1 million dollars” · Guitouni emphasized that “60% of health issues are related to animal health”
Detailed Implementation Plan: 1. Preventive Healthcare System (Years 1-3) · Establish community health centres · Implement health education programs · Create early warning systems
2. Healthcare Workforce Retention (Years 1-2) · Develop competitive compensation packages · Create career advancement pathways · Establish research opportunities
3. Regional Health Integration (Years 2-4) · Create shared medical facilities · Establish telemedicine networks · Develop regional health databases
3 Enhanced Success Metrics A. Quantitative Indicators
1. Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship · Number of new businesses created monthly · Youth unemployment rate change · Average time to first employment · Number of successful startups (>3 years) · Investment in youth enterprises
2. Technology Adoption · AI implementation in key sectors · Digital literacy rates · Technology sector GDP contribution · Number of tech patents filed · Digital infrastructure coverage
3. Healthcare Transformation · Preventive care participation rates · Healthcare worker retention rates · Community health centre coverage · Reduction in preventable diseases · Healthcare access within 5km
B. Qualitative Indicators 1. Trust and Governance · Public perception of leadership · Confidence in institutions · Transparency perception · Civic participation levels · Media freedom assessment
4 Risk Mitigation Strategies Based on Rym Ayadi’s warning about “increased competition for the continent” and Mohammed Abdirizak’s emphasis on “internal discord,” we propose:
1. Political Risk Mitigation · Establish early warning systems for political instability · Create regional mediation mechanisms · Develop leadership succession frameworks · Implement transparency requirements
5 Conclusion Africa’s development challenges present a complex web of interconnected issues centred around trust deficits and governance challenges. However, the continent’s “demographic dividend”, coupled with technological opportunities, provides a unique window for transformative change. Success requires a holistic approach that addresses both immediate trust-building needs and long-term structural reforms. The path forward demands: 1. Youth-centric development approaches 2. Technology sovereignty initiatives 3. Transparent governance systems 4. Regional integration efforts
The path forward involves both the internal strengthening of African institutions, and the careful development of international relationships based on mutual respect and benefit, rather than exploitation. For Africa, building trust requires balancing the protection of sovereignty while fostering mutually beneficial international partnerships. This involves selecting strategic partners who respect African autonomy and are committed to equitable development through ethical negotiations that ensure a fair distribution of value.
Key potential partners might include: · Regional African economic communities · BRICS nations within a “South-South” framework · Asian economies seeking resource diversity · Progressive Western nations willing to engage on equal terms
Most critically, Africa must develop its own solutions rather than importing models that may not fit its unique context. The success of this transformation depends on building trust at all levels - from local communities to international partnerships.
References 1. African Development Bank. (2024). African Economic Outlook 2024. 2. World Bank. (2023). Digital Economy for Africa Initiative Report. 3. UNECA. (2024). Economic Report on Africa: Technology, Innovation and Development. 4. World Health Organization. (2024). African Regional Health Report. 5. Victoria Forum Casablanca Round. (2025). Conference Proceedings.
