In Africa, the mere mention of The Hague is enough to send cold, spiky chills down politicians’ spines. It’s Gehenna before the fact – a place on planet Earth where not-so-nice people have to answer for their high-spirited shenanigans.

But today, we are at the Impact Fest – Europe’s premier Impact Investing event. We are talking business. Entrepreneurship. Investing.

Africa has received, in Aid, the cash equivalent of six Marshall Plans since independence celebration bells started ringing in the 1960s. (The Marshall Plan was signed into Law By President Truman to aid Europe in its recovery after World War II). But in Africa, we are six pence non the richer. In fact, on many counts, we are worse off than when we begun.

But we cannot continue to be the recipients of aid, and expect development. Entrepreneurship is the silver bullet for Africa’s development. The earlier politicians and bureaucrats alike embrace that, the faster we will grow. Already, six out of the world’s ten fastest growing economies in 2023 are African.