Fruit For Taught By Dr Daniel Mckorley

After the strong response to my recent article on the U.S.–China tariff war, I realised how important it is to continue the conversation around Africa’s economic future.

This is the first in a three-part series titled “𝘼𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙚”, —where I’ll explore the foundations we must build to unlock our continent’s potential: infrastructure, financing, and policy.

First, let’s think big—and build the Africa we know is possible. Africa is rising—but without the right foundation, even the boldest ambitions will stumble. And when we talk about building Africa’s future, there’s one word we cannot ignore: infrastructure.

Infrastructure is not just roads. It is the invisible system that moves power, people, products, and progress. It’s the power grid that keeps a factory running in Tanzania. The port that moves goods from Ghana to Guinea. The fibre cable that lets a startup in Rwanda sell services to South Africa. It’s the difference between surviving and scaling.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙒𝙚 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩
Right now, over 600 million Africans lack access to electricity. Only 34% of rural Africans have access to good roads. Port delays can stretch for weeks. Internet connectivity is expensive and inconsistent. The cost of moving goods across Africa is among the highest in the world—often 2-3 times more than in Asia or Europe. This is not just inconvenient. It is holding us back.

When a farmer can’t get their produce to market in time, it rots. When a factory loses power, production halts. When trucks take a week to cross a border, investment flees elsewhere.

𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙄𝙨 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙇𝙪𝙭𝙪𝙧𝙮—𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙥𝙖𝙙
No country has ever industrialised without investing in its physical and
digital backbone. And no region can truly rise without integration.

That’s why infrastructure is not just about convenience. It is about job
creation, regional growth, economic sovereignty, and dignity.

It is what will make it easier for African entrepreneurs to deliver at scale.
What will attract long-term investment and lower the cost of doing
business. What will give our youth the tools to build—not just dream.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙛𝘾𝙁𝙏𝘼 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚
This is where AfCFTA comes in as a force multiplier.

With borders opening and trade barriers falling, infrastructure becomes
even more important. A free trade agreement without reliable roads,
ports, and railways is just a promise on paper.

If we want to move goods from Senegal to Sudan, or from Zambia to
Zimbabwe, we need transport corridors, one-stop border posts, and harmonised logistics systems.

The revival of the Black Star Line is a powerful symbol of what’s possible.

An African shipping line connecting our own ports — facilitating trade on
our own terms. It’s not just nostalgia—it’s strategy.

We must take inspiration from that and scale it across every form of
infrastructure: land, sea, air, and cloud.