The three co-authors, Amadou Hott, Samuel Munzele Maimbo, and Sidi Ould Tah, are presidential candidates for the African Development Bank.

African nations are being punished by a global financial system that systematically overprices the risk of investing in their economies. The result: governments are paying up to five times more to borrow from capital markets than they would through concessional financing. For many, the choice is stark — repay creditors or invest in schools, hospitals, and clean water.

This isn’t just an African problem — it’s a global liability. The world cannot afford to choke off growth in the very region that holds the key to future labour supply, new markets, and climate resilience.

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