02/09/2026
WAPCS is grateful to PPI - Programme de Petites Initiatives for funding our participation in the Africa at the Center Conference, creating an opportunity for us to contribute to and learn from conversations on African-led development, shifting power and reimagining the future of our continent.
Our first day at the at the Center Conference was a powerful reminder that Africa’s development cannot always be imagined, designed or funded from outside the continent.
The opening session set the tone with a thought-provoking reflection on Africans creating solutions to catalyse our own development and, importantly, on the different forms of power available to us.
One idea that stayed with us was resistance power. The power to resist the temptation to always look outward for solutions, resources, knowledge and validation. What happens when we begin to trust our own people, our own knowledge systems and our own capacity to shape the future we want?
One practical takeaway from our discussions was the value of partnerships that feel real; partnerships where there is shared responsibility for mobilising resources, securing funding and implementing projects, rather than relationships that exist only on paper.
We also spent time thinking about leadership succession and how we can build systems that keep resources and opportunities within communities and institutions, rather than concentrating them around individuals.
And then came the “families.” ❤️🌍
Participants were placed into small home groups, intentionally bringing together people from different African countries. Each family was named after a phenomenal African person, place, happening or thing, a beautiful reminder that our diversity is not a weakness. It is part of our collective strength.
We also explored self sustaining ideas such as what it would mean if 1–1.5 billion Africans were united around a common agenda. Not just unity as an idea, but collective action that challenges our dependence on foreign knowledge, restores faith in our own capabilities and directs resources towards where they are most needed.
The break-out sessions brought these conversations to life. We worked around themes such as:
• Reimagining power, partnerships and global governance
• Financing Africa’s future
• Building Future-Fit Institutions
• Reimagining development: mindsets and narratives
The sessions were participatory. Each group reflected on these questions:
- Where we are
- What is not working
- The tensions and truths shaping the African development ecosystem
We shared ideas, challenged perspectives and pinned our group reflections on a board for everyone to read, engage with and deliberate on.
Day 1 left us with one big question:
What would Africa look like if Africans truly placed themselves at the centre of imagining, financing and leading Africa’s development?
Perhaps the answer begins with conversations like these, and with the courage to move from conversation to collective action.
A heartfelt acknowledgement to at the Center, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), , Partners, UK, Epic Africa HQ and all the organisations, facilitators, speakers and participants who made these important conversations possible. The convening is creating a much-needed space to question existing development systems, reimagine power and place African leadership, knowledge and agency at the centre of our development futures.
