Renowned Ghanaian business leader Sir Samuel Esson Jonah has outlined a five-point roadmap for Africa’s economic sovereignty in an open letter addressed to Heads of State of the African Union (AU).

In the letter dated February 18, 2026, Sir Sam urged African leaders to resist what he described as a new wave of “imperial rhetoric” and pursue “unashamedly selfish” economic sovereignty.

The letter was prompted by remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference, which Sam Jonah characterised as a “veiled call for a return to imperial dominance.”

Central to his message is a structured five-point plan aimed at repositioning Africa within the global economic order.

First, he called for the accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He urged leaders to fast-track negotiations on rules of origin, services, and investment, while investing in digital trade platforms and cross-border infrastructure to reduce trade costs and significantly increase manufactured exports over the next decade.

Second, Jonah pressed for the ratification and enforcement of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. He argued that without free movement across the continent, Africa cannot fully harness its entrepreneurs, skilled workers, and innovators who are critical to economic transformation.

Third, he emphasised the need to build internal resilience by shifting from donor dependency to self-financed development. This includes reforming fiscal policies to manage debt, investing in sustainable agriculture under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), promoting value addition instead of exporting raw materials, and strengthening the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture to address conflicts and insurgencies collectively.

Fourth, he urged African governments to empower youth and strengthen institutions. He called for governance reforms to address corruption, inequality, and democratic backsliding, while engaging Gen Z activism as a legitimate demand for accountability rather than a threat to stability.

Fifth, Sir Jonah advocated for a unified African foreign policy. In a period of escalating geopolitical tensions, he encouraged African states to speak with one voice, reject neocolonial overtures, and negotiate global partnerships on terms that prioritise African interests, including in forums such as the G20.

Warning that global powers still view Africa as a continent “ripe for extraction,” Sir Jonah echoed a remark attributed to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney: “If we are not at the table, we are on the menu.”

He argued that although formal colonialism has ended, exploitation persists through “embedded global economic structures” and mounting debt.

Invoking pan-African figures such as Kwame Nkrumah and Thomas Sankara, he concluded: “Africa is not a footnote in history; we are its authors.”