Recently, I watched a viral video of French President Emmanuel Macron demanding silence from a loud audience of African students during a culture and youth session at the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
Beyond the viral moment involving Macron and the Nairobi marathon featuring Kenyan two-time Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, as well as France’s pledge of USD 25 billion, what particularly caught my attention was Macron’s claim that he is a true Pan-Africanist despite being European.
Mr. Macron stated: “We are the true Pan-Africanists. We believe that Africa is a continent and that this continent has an enormous amount to build. It is the youngest in the world and therefore has an extraordinary demographic dividend. It is the one with the greatest growth in the world.”
Macron’s Pan-African claim sparked public outrage, street demonstrations, criticism, and online condemnation across parts of Africa.
I was compelled to analyse his statement sentence by sentence, considering that Macron is not just any European president, but the leader of France — a former colonial power and a G7 member with veto authority on the United Nations Security Council, where Africa still lacks permanent representation.
I kept wondering what he meant by saying, “We are the true Pan-Africanists,” and “We believe that Africa is a continent.”
Is it because colonial powers partitioned Africa during the Scramble for Africa, or because some still subconsciously view the continent through the lens of former imperial territories?
I wish to remind the French president and others of similar thinking that historically, biblically, scientifically, and geographically, Africa is the oldest continent, home to some of the earliest human remains, including the approximately 315,000-year-old fossils discovered at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco.
Long before the Romans named it Africa in 146 BCE, the continent — bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the northeast — was known as Alkebulan.
Africa is also home to some of the world’s oldest civilisations, including Kemet, Kush, Nok, Aksum, and Aethiopia. In that regard, any undertones of condescension embedded in Pan-African claims from former colonial powers undermine these historical realities.
As Africa marks Africa Day 2026, I find myself agreeing with Ghanaian journalist David Hundeyin and others who have questioned such claims.
More importantly, however, these statements should challenge Africans to reimagine the concept of the African Renaissance as the global order gradually restructures itself.
Africa Day should also serve as a moment of reflection on why the continent continues to be undermined despite its rich history, youthful population, natural resources, and strategic geographical position.
Behind closed doors, Africans must ask themselves difficult questions. How does a continent with more than 1.5 billion people still have a combined GDP that lags behind countries with significantly smaller populations such as France?
Africa Day should therefore not simply be about celebration, but about confronting the hard questions and realities that continue to fuel misconceptions, stereotypes, and dismissive narratives about the continent.
This year’s Africa Day comes at a difficult time, with parts of the continent grappling with an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, civil unrest in Sudan and parts of South Africa, and rising fuel prices in Kenya, among other challenges.
At the same time, there are encouraging signs of progress. Some African countries are reducing dependence on foreign financing, while others are embracing economic integration, strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, and nurturing democratic governance in countries such as Botswana, Senegal, Liberia, Namibia, Kenya, and Nigeria.
Macron’s remarks notwithstanding, Africa’s major challenges in the eyes of the world remain debt dependency, negative global perceptions, and exclusion from permanent representation at the United Nations Security Council. These are issues Africans themselves must resolve.
First, on debt, African countries continue to borrow heavily, with much of their domestic revenue directed toward debt servicing rather than development.
Moving forward, African states should use platforms such as the G20 to negotiate fairer borrowing terms from institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
At the same time, governments should reduce unnecessary borrowing and work toward greater economic independence because only economically sovereign nations can negotiate effectively at the global table.
Countries such as Namibia and Botswana have demonstrated the importance of reducing external debt burdens, enabling them to make sovereign decisions with less foreign pressure.
Africa can also leverage its vast renewable energy potential and mineral wealth — including cobalt, lithium, uranium, manganese, geothermal, and solar resources — to negotiate more equitable global partnerships.
The continent must move beyond exporting raw materials and instead invest in value addition and industrialisation in order to build stronger economic influence.
Secondly, regarding Africa’s global image, African media institutions must become more deliberate in shaping and defending the continent’s narrative.
African governments must also strengthen democracy, uphold the rule of law, combat corruption, protect human rights, and address chronic poverty — issues that continue to damage the continent’s international standing.
Thirdly, Africa must continue demanding permanent representation at the United Nations Security Council in order to advance its perspectives on peacebuilding, finance, security, and global economic governance.
As African nations increasingly engage with emerging global blocs such as BRICS, South-South cooperation frameworks, and other multilateral alliances, leaders must articulate a unified continental voice.
Africa must also move beyond organising colourful summits and conferences and focus instead on practical action and measurable outcomes if it is to become a meaningful architect of global governance.
African states should remove unnecessary trade barriers, visa restrictions, and travel limitations to strengthen regional supply chains and ensure the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The continent should also study how countries such as China and India transformed themselves into influential geopolitical and economic powers despite histories shaped by colonialism and foreign domination.
Africa Day should equally provide an opportunity to reassess educational systems and align academic curricula with the ideals of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance.
It is also time for African presidents to stop accepting symbolic treatment that diminishes the dignity of the continent on the global stage.
As we celebrate Africa Day, it should not merely be a moment of festivity, but an opportunity to reflect on Africa’s past, present, and aspirations under Agenda 2063.
Ultimately, as the world gradually transitions into a new global order, it is time to practically reimagine Cheikh Anta Diop’s vision of an African Renaissance.
Robert Kigongo is a sustainable development analyst