Defence Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah has told African countries to build a continent where national budgets speak the language of the people’s needs— where education, healthcare, and public services are seen not as costs but as investments in peace and potential.
He also called for the creation of systems where communities shape their own security, in line with the spirit of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 16) —peace, justice, and strong institutions—not as slogans, but as the fertile soil in which innovation and leadership can truly grow.
He said this in a Facebook post after speaking and sharing ideas at the Futures Forum at the London School of Economics on Tuesday May 27.
“I believe we can co-create the Africa We Want if we work together. Let us urge development partners to reimagine their roles—not just as funders, but as collaborators for long-term transformation, investing not in temporary fixes but in the deep structural shifts that Africa needs.
“And above all, let us rise beyond the divisions—those imposed from within and without. Let peace, vision, and solidarity be the forces that unite us.
“Africa must unite, Africa will unite, And together, we will build the Africa We Want. Because it is only through unity, innovation, and bold leadership that we can reshape the global security architecture—and make it work not just for us, but with us, over the next decisive decade and beyond for sustainable futures,” Omane Bomaha wrote.
Below is his full post…
It was exciting, intellectually rigorous and engaging speaking and sharing ideas at the Futures Forum at the London School of Economics yesterday.
I believe we can co-create the Africa We Want if we work together as a people while demanding visionary and selfless leadership.
Below is my concluding message to the engaging participants, which included my lecturer at LSE (how proud Lucy was… Glad to have seen you, Lucy, and thanks for your kind words towards my growth and development).
Distinguished colleagues, young innovators, and partners from around the world:
Africa stands at a defining crossroads. Not of crisis, but of possibility. In a world where global security is being reimagined, Africa must not sit on the sidelines—we must shape the future we deserve.
Let us claim our agency, starting with the tools already in our hands.
The African Continental
Free Trade Agreement is more than a legal text—it is a blueprint for shared prosperity, for jobs, and for homegrown innovation.
We must make it real, together.
Let us imagine—and work toward—an Africa where young men and women no longer flee bomb-struck streets, but walk freely into classrooms that inspire them to think, lead, and dream without fear.
An Africa where local tech hubs, including AI Hubs with ideas and startups, are not exceptions but the engines of national growth.
This is the Africa that President Mahama (through an LSE alum, Minister Sam George) is pursuing in Ghana under the One Million Coders’ Programme to administer several IT courses to equip the youth for the fast-advancing world of technology and innovation.
Through the One Million Coders’ Programme, we seek to equip the youth with critical skill sets in:
Data protection,
Cyber security,
AI engineering, and
Software engineering in multiple coding languages.
Let us build a continent where national budgets speak the language of our people’s needs— where education, healthcare, and public services are seen not as costs but as investments in peace and potential.
Let us create systems where communities shape their own security, in line with the spirit of SDG 16—peace, justice, and strong institutions—not as slogans, but as the fertile soil (in this climate change and terrorism era) in which innovation and leadership can truly grow.
Let us urge development partners to reimagine their roles—not just as funders, but as collaborators for long-term transformation, investing not in temporary fixes but in the deep structural shifts that Africa needs.
And above all, let us rise beyond the divisions—those imposed from within and without.
Let peace, vision, and solidarity be the forces that unite us.
Africa must unite.
Africa will unite.
And together, we will build the Africa We Want.
Because it is only through unity, innovation, and bold leadership that we can reshape the global security architecture—and make it work not just for us, but with us, over the next decisive decade and beyond for sustainable futures.
Thank you.
Africa, Let’s get to work – Come home, let us build the Africa We Want!
