The values shaping development policy

Africa’s youthful population and technological dynamism demand a rethinking of development policy, one that centres community, fairness, and self-determination. These values are critical for dismantling systemic barriers, changing behaviours, and fostering inclusive, sustainable development. Globally, rising economic frustrations, political divides, and demands for justice make this shift urgent and necessary.

Next week’s Annual Conference on Development Economics offers global policy leaders, researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners a platform to examine the values underpinning development policy, particularly how they shape responses to populism, exclusion, and inequality. It is a moment to commit to approaches that prioritise inclusion, fairness, and shared prosperity.

The cost of misaligned values

Africa’s path to prosperity faces significant challenges rooted in misaligned values and behaviours that shape development policies, which are often not designed with Africa’s unique context in mind. Negative narratives that label Africa as a high-risk investment deter capital flows, costing the continent up to $4.2 billion annually—funds that could instead be invested in infrastructure, climate action, agriculture, health, and education.

Top-down policymaking, often shaped by external donor priorities, continues to sideline African voices, resulting in interventions that often stifle innovation and entrench inequitable markets. At the same time, exploitative practices, such as the persistent undervaluation of Africa’s natural capital, undermine the continent’s ability to fully leverage its demographic and technological strengths. Even as official development assistance declines, Africa can leverage ongoing flows strategically, and a recalibrated approach to development policy would strengthen these efforts, helping to attract additional investment and support locally driven growth.

Putting values into action

At Africa Practice, we work at the intersection of values, behaviours, policies, and influence. We analyse how connections, mindsets, narratives, power dynamics, and the flow of resources shape Africa’s development landscape. 

Our approach focuses on three critical areas:

• Shifting Narratives: Misperceptions of risk and dependency continue to restrict Africa’s economic potential and add to growing frustrations. By collaborating with local partners, we work to bring forward accounts of African innovation in fast-growing sectors like e-commerce, fintech, agriculture, renewable energy, critical minerals, health and biotech, Edtech, and transportation and logistics. These efforts not only help to attract greater investment but also encourage a more accurate and nuanced understanding of Africa’s place in the global economy. Such shifts in narrative support ongoing movements for reforms that place African priorities and diverse contributions at the centre of development policy.
  
• Rewriting Rules: Policy frameworks developed outside Africa frequently overlook local realities and priorities, which can hinder equitable growth. This is especially true when policies fail to account for the complexities across 50+ diverse markets. By supporting initiatives that prioritise insights from within African markets, we contribute to the development of policies attuned to local needs. Efforts to reform financial mechanisms, such as the strengthening of domestic capital markets and innovative debt approaches, are part of this drive for policies grounded in local context, fairness and collective well-being.
  
• Reimagining Markets: Current market structures and the gross undervaluation of Africa’s natural resources severely limit the continent’s ability to harness its young population and technological innovation. By advocating for strategically redirecting resource flows—capital, knowledge, and infrastructure, we catalyse transformative behaviours, fostering inclusive, self-reliant markets that support lasting prosperity.
  

A way forward

Resetting the values that shape development policy is essential to overcoming systemic barriers and economic challenges. By shifting narratives, rewriting rules, and reimagining markets, we can build a clear framework for policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors to  advance development policies that prioritise inclusion, sustainability, and long-term prosperity, both in Africa and beyond.

About Africa Practice

Africa Practice is a mission-driven strategic advisory firm dedicated to accelerating Africa’s potential through policy reform, market design, and narrative change. With over 20 years of experience, our pan-continental team of 80+ African experts, including risk analysts,  development economists and practitioners, policy experts, storytellers, data scientists, advocates, and creative systems thinkers, partners with philanthropy, industry, and investors to unlock investment, foster inclusive growth, and reshape perceptions. We deliver bold, locally grounded solutions in sectors like digital economy, education, health, technology, infrastructure, energy, and natural capital, driving lasting impact across the continent.