Very glad to go on record about my thinking around African agency. I welcome and recognise the need for international cooperation (we need the support!) but I am equally passionate about equal partnerships and encouraging Africans to stop thinking they have nothing to offer.

Equal partnerships take into consideration the fact that interests may not always align. We've been on the receiving end for so long as a continent but I think we need to straighten our spines. Grow up, stop playing the victim, and become real players in the global economy.

I'm youngish (lol, getting old) and have a whole lifetime of working towards African development ahead of me. I'll try to do this to my best ability. I will not sell out my continent, will always stand up for right. African knowledge systems. African dignity. African development.