Retired Colonel Festus Aboagye has criticised African governments for failing to turn the continent’s vast natural and human resources into bargaining power, arguing that Africa is often short-changed because of weaknesses in its own negotiations.
Speaking at the Students and Young Professionals Africa Liberty Academy (SYPALA) 2026 at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), on Thursday, August 27, Col. (Rtd) Aboagye said having abundant resources does not automatically give African countries influence in their dealings with foreign partners.
“Having resources is not the same as controlling the value those resources create,” he said.
The programme, organised in collaboration with IMANI Africa and UPSA, was held under the theme “Africa’s Future: Leadership in a Changing World”.
According to Col. (Rtd) Aboagye, Africa continues to export much of its raw materials while capturing only a fraction of the value generated from finished products.
He cited gold, oil and cocoa as examples, arguing that the continent has struggled to build the capacity needed to process its resources and retain more of the economic value.
“We produce much of the raw material, but capture only a small share of the final product’s value,” he said.
He said the same challenge applies to Africa’s large youth population, warning that demographic strength should not automatically be treated as an economic advantage.
“Our young population is not automatically a dividend,” he said, citing the migration of Ghanaian nurses to other countries as an example of how African countries can invest in human capital only for other economies to benefit from it.
For Col. (Rtd) Aboagye, the critical issue is therefore not simply whether Africa possesses valuable resources but whether governments can negotiate agreements that ensure those resources serve the continent’s long-term interests.
“The real question is whether we can convert these numerous assets or diverse assets into leverage,” he said.
He urged African governments to pay greater attention to the terms of agreements they sign with foreign partners.
“The decisive variable is not a partner. It is the terms,” he said. “What are the terms that you are going to write when they want access to any of your resources?”
Col. (Rtd) Aboagye used Ghana’s dealings with Turkey over a power plant as an example of what he described as weaknesses in negotiating capacity.
He said Turkey brought the technology needed for the project, while Ghana had the resources required to operate it, but questioned whether Ghana secured the best possible terms.
“When we needed technology in the form of the power plant that Turkey was providing, they had the technology. We have the oil or whatever to put in there in order to address our needs. But what did we write on that paper? What did we sign to?” he asked.
He further cited the involvement of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), saying the organisation was brought in to help renegotiate the deal and succeeded in reducing its cost.
That example, he said, demonstrated the importance of independent expertise when governments negotiate major agreements.
Col. (Rtd) Aboagye rejected the idea that Africa’s economic challenges can be blamed entirely on foreign partners.
“Africa is being short-changed, not because our partners are short-changing us, but because we ourselves as Africans,” he said.
He argued that African governments must develop stronger negotiating institutions and become more deliberate about what they seek from international partnerships.
He also urged governments to consult independent organisations with technical expertise before concluding major agreements.
“We refuse to consult institutions like IMANI and ACEP and CDD, CODEO, and all of these organisations which have the expertise,” he said.
He said the problem is compounded when political leaders approach negotiations with considerations that are narrower than the national interest.
“For everybody in government who is negotiating an agreement… there’s a term, what is in need for us?” he said.
According to him, political actors can sometimes focus on what their party or individual officeholders stand to gain instead of asking what will benefit Ghana in the long term.
“What can the party get? What can you, as the minister, get? You see what I mean? Not what can Ghana get,” he said.
The retired military officer also argued that Africa has an opportunity to improve its bargaining position because several major powers are competing for access to the continent’s resources, markets and strategic influence.
He listed China, the United States, the European Union, Russia, the Gulf States, India, Turkey and Brazil among the external actors seeking partnerships with African countries.
“They are here because they have interests that they think Africa can satisfy for them,” he said.
He explained that foreign partners offer different combinations of capital, technology, security, markets and infrastructure, while seeking access, influence, resources or political support in return.
The challenge, he said, is for African countries to understand these interests and negotiate from a position that maximises their own benefits.
“The fact that we have six youths looking for these things means that we can sit in our rooms and see how we can maximise these things that they are looking for, to our benefit,” he said.
He advocated a strategy of multi-alignment, where African countries avoid becoming permanently tied to one global power and instead choose partnerships based on their strategic interests.
“That will depend on, first of all, the capacity that you have to negotiate,” he said.
He identified negotiating capacity, fiscal independence and domestic legitimacy as important factors that determine whether African countries can exercise meaningful strategic choice.
Col. (Rtd) Aboagye also cautioned against confusing Africa’s growing strategic importance with actual geopolitical power.
“Africa is being courted. And that is better than being ignored,” he said. “But being wanted is not the same as being strong.”
He said Africa’s 54 votes at international institutions could constitute significant influence if countries were able to coordinate their positions around common strategic interests.
“54 votes cast together are a source of influence. But 54 votes cast separately are not opportunities,” he said.
He also pointed to Africa’s limited influence in the United Nations Security Council, noting that despite longstanding efforts to reform the global system, the continent has not secured a permanent seat with veto power.
He said the continent must therefore focus not only on being heard internationally but also on developing the capacity to act collectively and protect its interests.
“Being heard is not the same as being able to act,” he said.
