Talk of African renaissance dominated the corridors of power in the past fifteen years or so as leaders on the continent sought to find ways to improve lives of citizens and move the continent to the next level.

This new thinking created a lot of euphoria across the continent, giving many reason to start believing in mother Africa.

The ‘Africa rising’ narrative was actively promoted by, among other leaders, former Senegalese leader Abdoulaye Wade, former South African President Thabo Mbeki, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria.

This narrative was to lay the foundation of the continent’s home-grown development blueprint, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) about 15 years ago.

The initiative inspired a new kind of approach, whereby the continent was to largely turn to its own capacities and resources to find lasting solutions to its development challenges.

Yet little has changed since 2001 when NEPAD was launched with pomp. Indeed, despite the enormous promise it heralded, most of the issues the initiative sought to address still persist to date.

Nonetheless, Africans must continue to believe in themselves and their continent. After all sitting back and do nothing to help Africa live to her full potential is no option, the continent’s future must rest squarely in the hands of the African people.

That’s why the new infrastructure development master plan devised by the African Union Commission provides a ray of hope and should be supported by all African leaders and people.

The programme for infrastructure development in Africa comes at a crucial time when the continent is looking to strengthen intra-regional trade, create more jobs, reduce poverty among the masses, as well as improve the welfare of traditionally marginalised groups, including rural women.

For Africa to achieve its development goals, feed its population and ensure sustainable growth, it must improve its roads and communication facilities, must provide access to clean energy and create a conducive environment to attract new investments and spur growth.

According to the African Union Commission, improved infrastructure could help the continent grow by 2 per cent a year, and increase its productivity by 40 per cent.

As such, as the 27th AU Summit closes in Kigali today, we expect that the current crop of leaders will actively support and own initiatives that are geared at rejuvenating the ‘Africa rising’ narrative, not just in words, but in implementing agreed actions.

It is our firm belief that, despite the prevailing challenges facing Africa, from conflicts to economic hardships, we can still realise our dream of a truly united, prosperous and respected continent.