President of the African School of Governance, Prof Kingsley Moghalu, on Thursday called on African nations to use Public-Private Partnerships as a key strategy to liberate themselves from the lingering grip of neo-colonialism.
Moghalu, who spoke at the 2025 annual lecture of the Association of Foreign Relations Practitioners of Nigeria in Abuja, painted a picture of Africa’s ongoing struggle for economic independence, despite its political freedom.
Moghalu explained that while African nations gained political independence in the 1950s to 70s, they remained economically subjugated by foreign powers.
“Today, decades later while we have achieved political freedom, Africa has not achieved economic freedom.
“The economies of African countries are still trapped in a neocolonial stranglehold,” he said.
He pointed out that, despite abundant natural resources, Africa continues to export raw materials, only to import highly processed goods at inflated prices, perpetuating a cycle of dependency.
The neo-colonial nature of international trade and foreign investments is keeping Africa in a state of underdevelopment, he argued.
At the heart of his argument was the urgent need for a developmental state model—where governments actively guide economic growth and transformation without resorting to socialist control.
Moghalu said, “In a developmental state there is strategic national economic ambition, but there also is flexibility about the role of the state. It could be stronger or weaker by design.”
He pointed to the successful examples of Japan, South Korea, and China, where strategic collaboration between the state and private enterprises has driven extraordinary economic growth.
“The state may drive production through state-owned enterprises, as happened in China. Or it may give a stronger role to the private sector corporations, as in Japan,” he explained.
This, he believes, is the path for Africa to achieve true economic sovereignty.
He highlighted the critical need for infrastructure development, acknowledging that Africa faces an annual infrastructure financing gap of up to $100bn, which is severely hampering economic growth and productivity.
“The African Development Bank estimates that the continent requires between $130bn and $170bn annually for infrastructure development, leaving a financing gap of around $100bn each year,” Moghalu. said.
He emphasised that Public-Private Partnerships can help bridge this gap, as they enable private capital and expertise to complement public resources in developing vital infrastructure.
Despite their potential, however, Africa accounts for only seven per cent of global PPP investments, signalling vast untapped opportunities.
“There is very little knowledge in the public sectors of African countries about how PPPs work,” he stated.
According to Moghalu, PPPs offer a transformative solution, enabling African countries to reduce reliance on external debt and foreign aid.
“A PPP approach will leave African countries with more resources to finance rural development at the grassroots through education, rural feeder roads and other aspects of rural economies, as well as healthcare financing, reducing reliance on foreign aid,” Moghalu noted.
He also argued that these partnerships bring efficiency, innovation, and shared risk to critical projects. He pointed to the Murtala Mohammed Airport domestic terminal in Nigeria as an example of successful PPPs, where private sector involvement has resulted in a major infrastructure upgrade.
He also warned of the significant obstacles facing PPPs in Africa, including weak regulatory frameworks, corruption, and a lack of institutional capacity in many African governments.
“Approximately 87 per cent of African countries have some form of regulatory framework for PPPs, but their effectiveness varies,” he observed.
He stressed that addressing these challenges requires strong political will, transparent governance, and capacity building at all levels of government.
“In countries where corruption levels are very high, corruption is a disincentive for PPPs because the opportunity for public sector leaders to award inflated contracts with public finances,” Moghalu cautioned.
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