UN General Assembly
2023

Africa needs expanded growth and better integration into the global economy in order to enable it to engage in production and export, create well- paid jobs, eradicate extreme poverty and ensure the happiness of its peoples. It needs structural transformation to be able to make its many commodity based. low-added-value economies more diversified, with greater integration into value chains and increased competitiveness. It requires transformations in terms of reducing vulnerabilities, increasing resilience and responding to external economic, financial, energy, climate and health shocks. We also need transformation in terms of technological connectivity, which is a major obstacle to Africa’s economic integration. Africa needs to decisively, consistently and effectively invest in human capital, including through quality education and health for all and access to basic needs such as water, electricity and household sanitation for every family. In order to yield significant results, long-term transformative investments require considerable concessionary funding, predictability, scale-up effects and enough time to implement them. The weight of external debt, the levels of sovereign risk and the financing conditions for African countries and