There was a time when Africa was the destination of investment from external investors for a variety of reasons. The sluggish global economy and a variety of other factors make that kind of investment landscape one that can no longer be counted on, and it has had a negative impact on a number of African country's economies. But 2010 Tutu Fellow Lerato Mataboge writes that the reduced external investment in Africa may provide the pain that African countries need to reimagine the way in which they do business with each other. 

In a piece for African Business, Mataboge writes that the only realistic hope for realising the “Africa Rising” narrative lies in ensuring that Africans invest in each other’s economies for the transformation, participation and economic emancipation of its people.

Looking at the numbers, Mataboge notes that there has been progress. As a trade and investment specialist, she points out that African Development Bank estimates show an increase in intra-African trade from 10% to 16% between 2000 and 2014. But this remains well below that of other global regions, and it is arguably Africa’s most underutilised growth opportunity. She says that the time is right for Africa’s business and government leaders to look at intra-continental resource mobilisation for strategic investments and projects that build much-needed infrastructure and help the African continent to industrialise.  In the African Business article, she provides a number of concrete and practical solutions in which Africa can take advantage of it's own rapidly-growing markets for its own benefit.

The full piece can be read at African Business.  Each month, in a partnership with the African Leadership Institute, African Business will carry a thought or opinion piece from a Tutu Fellow, sharing insights from young leaders from across the continent.  Lerato Mataboge is the CEO of Trade Invest Africa and a 2010 Tutu Fellow.