Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged African nations to embrace homegrown solutions to address the continent’s economic challenges, emphasizing innovation, industrialization, and domestic capacity building as keys to sustainable prosperity.
Shettima spoke during a high-level session of the Accra Reset Initiative, held on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
Describing the initiative as “a bold reimagining of Africa’s shared future,” Shettima said it calls for a shift in mindset from “dependency to dignity, from aid to investment, from rhetoric to results.” He stressed that Africa can only prosper when wealth is built locally, not parachuted in.
“It is a call to prosper together. And I am confident that if we answer this call, the world will witness an African boom built not on the sands of commodity cycles, but on the bedrock of innovation, industry, and interdependence,” Shettima said.
Citing Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery as a model, he highlighted the country’s transition from a net importer to a potential net exporter of refined fuel, illustrating how domestic production paired with infrastructure and policy clarity can transform economies.
Shettima further underscored the role of modern technology, including modular factories, artificial intelligence, and robotics, in accelerating industrialization. “Africa can industrialize faster in the twenty-first century than ever before,” he said, noting that the continent is moving from being known for “what it digs or grows” to “what it builds.”
He also highlighted the impact of remittances, noting that Africans abroad sent home $95 billion in 2024—more than five percent of GDP—demonstrating the power of domestic resources. Shettima advocated for free movement across Africa, describing mobility as a competitive advantage in leveraging human capital.
President John Mahama of Ghana, who co-hosted the session, emphasized that the Accra Reset Initiative is not a wish list but a practical roadmap for Africa’s future in a shifting global order. “Africa intends to be at the table in determining what that new global order will look like,” Mahama said.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo highlighted the need for African leaders to adapt to disruption and uncertainty by taking proactive steps through initiatives like Accra Reset. Former Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo added that the forum aims to galvanize support for governments to rethink strategies for economic transformation and address citizens’ challenges.
The session concluded with a shared vision that Africa’s prosperity must be homegrown, industrially driven, and rooted in local capacity, ensuring enduring wealth and development for the continent.