By Prof Udenta O. Udenta
“Africa is a fertile land of hope of the 21st century. There will be no global modernization without African modernization. The stability and development of Africa is vital to the future of humanity, and the world must listen to Africa and heed its concerns.” Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister ( remarks made to the UN audience on March 7, 2025).
A New Dawn for Africa in the World Order
The global governance architecture of the 21st century is at a familiar crossroads: institutions shaped in a different era are now confronting realities they were never built to address. Instead of new powerhouses ushering in fresh formats, the momentum is shifting from the traditional North alone to a rising Global South. The question is: can Africa step from being spoken to into becoming a speaker? And might the recently introduced Global Governance Initiative (GGI), championed by the People’s Republic of China, present such an opportunity?
Announced formally in 2025, the GGI articulates a Chinese-proposed pathway for reforming and strengthening global governance. It builds on the older pillars of the international system while emphasizing five guiding concepts: sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centred approach, and real results.
For Africa, this presents both a window of possibility and an imperative. If African states engage with the GGI proactively, they stand to redefine their global voice and reposition themselves as essential actors in a more balanced global governance system.
Why Africa Stands to Benefit
i. Elevating Representation and Voice
One of the central critiques of the current global governance system is the democratic deficit that many developing countries experience: decision-making tables where their voices are muted. The GGI explicitly recognises this challenge. In the words of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, “the pressing task is to make special arrangements to meet Africa’s aspiration as a priority.”
For Africa, this signals a shift from being peripheral stakeholders to being central contributors. That means that African states participating in global reform, whether at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank or the United Nations Security Council, can expect more inclusive pathways. For instance, the GGI supports advancing quota realignment at the IMF and shareholding review at the World Bank.
This matters deeply for African countries seeking to influence the rules, not just abide by them.
ii. Development and Capacity-Building at the Centre
Governance is not only about rules and representation; it is about outcomes. The GGI emphasises mobilising global resources for development, placing development back at the centre of international agenda.
Africa has long sought partners who can accompany growth, not just finance it. With China’s increased offer to share technology, infrastructure, and capacity-building seen in earlier frameworks like the Forum on China‑Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the China‑Africa Development Fund, Africa has an opportunity to harness large-scale development partnerships and transform them into inclusive governance levers.
A practical example: when Kenyan President William Ruto visited China, the two countries signed agreements on science & technology, vocational education, e-commerce and transport infrastructure (20 such accords in total). Reuters reported how Kenya and China stated they would lead “the development of China-Africa relations and unity and cooperation of the Global South.”
This link between development and governance means African states can translate investments into a stronger voice. The notion is not only “we will build infrastructure” but “we will help shape the global system that honours African ownership”.
iii. From Reactive to Proactive: Africa as Rule-Maker
With the GGI advocating a world where the Global South is not just a beneficiary but also a “pivotal force in global governance reform,” Africa finds itself in the position of helping to write the rules for once.
Imagine African nations helping set standards for AI governance, digital data flows, climate finance, and multilateral trade rules. Already, the GGI speech refers to AI governance platforms and underscores the need for developing countries to be part of setting the technical standards.
For the continent, this means no longer waiting for global norms to trickle down, but rather shaping those norms so that they reflect African values, priorities and ambitions.
Real-Life Illustrations of What Could Change
Consider the ideal of equal quota and shareholding review at the IMF and World Bank. Historically African countries have held only marginal shares and therefore limited influence. Under the GGI framework, a genuine realignment means Africa could secure greater voice in how international financial rules are set and enforced. In turn that strengthens Africa’s negotiating power and lessens dependency.
In the realm of regional organisations and platforms, the GGI signals support for the growing role of emerging marketplaces such as the BRICS co-operation. China pledges support for their “high-quality development” with fairness, justice, openness and inclusiveness as key principles.
By extension, African economies within BRICS and other forums can elevate their geopolitical weight. The continent’s involvement in regional security, digital governance and sustainable development will thereby also feed into global rule-making.
Take the example of Africa’s digital infrastructure and data sovereignty. Academics are already pointing to Africa’s need to design a blueprint for digital infrastructure and the flow of data free from undue external control. With China’s GGI-driven technological cooperation, Africa might access platforms and capacity to help shape the rules of digital governance.
Another example: climate and green transition. The GGI statement demands developed countries deliver their emission reduction commitments and provide financial & technological support to developing countries. Africa, which bears the brunt of climate change despite being a minor emitter, can use this framework to demand genuine partnerships in the green economy. Over time this may give African governments stronger standing in global climate negotiations, turning from plea to peer.
What Might Africa’s Role Look Like in Five to Ten Years?
To envision what a redefined African voice looks like under the GGI, let us consider a set of plausible projections:
By 2030: African nations occupy at least two new seats at key decision-making tables in major global financial institutions (such as IMF, World Bank reform boards) reflecting new quotas. They co-lead shaping standard-setting bodies for AI ethics, digital data governance and green financing with equal partnership from China and other global south peers.
By 2034: Africa hosts major multilateral summits (for instance a G20 outreach session or UN special session) under a “Global South leadership” banner, where African voices articulate common priorities and negotiate as a bloc rather than a patchwork of national interests.
By 2035: There is an export-oriented African institutional infrastructure for governance: for example a continental African mediation and conflict resolution body co-branded under GGI frameworks, digitised capacity-building hubs, and Africa-led regional standards for climate adaptation financing and infrastructure investment.
By 2040: Global governance is characterised by a tripolar dynamic rather than a unipolar or bipolar world: developed economies, the Global South (with Africa central) and emerging powers all contribute structurally to governance. African input is visible in rule-making, not only implementation. For example Africa participates in a global AI standards body where it leads a “digital sovereignty for developing nations” cluster.
In short, Africa would evolve from the margins of global governance into a meaningful power centre and become one of the voices that shape how the world is governed.
Challenges and Why Africa Must Act Strategically
Of course this transformation is not automatic. The GGI offers promise but not guarantee. Several caveats are worth noting:
Representation without capacity is hollow. Africa must build institutional strength, train diplomats and technocrats in rule-making, negotiate like mature partners, and not merely be framing partners.
Choosing the right partnerships matters. Engagement with China’s GGI must be balanced with safeguarding national interest and avoiding dependency or hidden vulnerabilities.
Governance also means accountability. Africa must bring its own house in order. Transparent institutions, rule of law, infrastructure management and digital governance must improve so that Africa’s voice is credible.
Global geopolitics will remain competitive. While the GGI signals cooperation, Africa still needs to navigate rival powers, debt traps, technology transfer negotiations and potential influence asymmetries.
That said, the alternative is worse: staying on the side-lines while others determine how governance evolves.
Why the Time is Right
Why now? Because the times favour Africa in unexpected ways.
The weight of historical injustice is building global pressure on reform. The documented under-representation of Africa and the Global South is no longer hidden. The GGI explicitly recognises that “the Global South is rising as a whole” and that “developing countries equally take part in major global governance decision-making is key to just and effective governance.”
Further, Africa’s growth trajectories are compelling. With youthful populations, abundant resources, growing digital penetration and continental trade initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African economies are not just recipients; they are markets, innovation hubs and strategic partners. When you combine this with a governance push from China’s GGI, you have a potent mix: Africa’s rise becoming endogenous to the new governance architecture.
And lastly, the shifting global dynamic show major powers facing internal constraints, rising multipolarity, and an urgent need for global institutional reform. All of this means that Africa’s time to act is now. The GGI is a door opening.
The Human Dimension: Africa’s Story in the Making
Beyond boards and summits, there is a deeper human story here. Consider young Nigerians connecting to global data centres, African agripreneurs accessing Chinese–African funded platforms, climate-vulnerable communities securing adaptation funds whose standards they helped design. When African states occupy chairs at global tables, the result is not just more power, it is more dignity for millions who feel decisions were taken without them.
For example in my home country Nigeria, being part of shaping AI governance means safeguards that reflect our context: how do AI systems respect local languages? How do data flows preserve our privacy in a context of weaker regulation? When Africa has a voice, technologies do not get imported wholesale, rather they will get adopted in ways that serve Africans.
When African infrastructure investments are embedded in governance frameworks the result is less “white elephant” projects and more community-benefit. When African countries craft digital and trade standards, our young tech innovators have rules that favour them, not leave them outside global markets. That is humanity in action: the many, not the few.
Africa’s Voice, Reimagined
The Global Governance Initiative is more than yuan-denominated rhetoric or a new talk shop. For Africa it presents a strategic pathway: from being governed to governing, from being represented to representing, from being beneficiaries to being architects. The benefits are real: stronger voice at the table, more equitable development partnerships, rule-setting participation and a stake in shaping a future world system.
But to derive these benefits Africa must act: build capacity, negotiate with purpose, align development with governance, and place people at the core. If African nations seize this moment, by 2035 or 2040 we might look back and say: this was the decade when Africa transformed from being the subject of global decisions to being a central author of them.
As we move forward, Africa must look at the GGI and see not just cooperation but co-leadership. Not just infrastructure but institutional influence. Not just assistance but agency. For as the world shifts, Africa’s voice need no longer whisper; it can resonate loud and clear.
For Africa, the promise is immense. But it will not be delivered by chance. Africa must choose to step in, raise its voice, and join the rule-making process. The world will listen, and even more, it will adapt.
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