From UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 TO DAVOS 2020- So which African country will dare bell the cat?

Today the city of London, and the Royal Borough of Greenwich precisely is in overdrive - a good chunk of African leaders, advisers absent from the continent are gathered for the above summit. It is a day summit where the UK ahead but towards its post Brexit policy wants to court the continent as its no 1 choice of investment partner-perhaps a direct rivalry with China, Africas darling at this said time. The UK-Africa summit, is not a bad strategy at all, at least the British Government has done its own home work and is about to sell its own agenda.

My absolute focus is not on the host, how about the African leaders and experts attending on the back of the taxpayers coffers and time-of their country, is it a meeting worth its cost in gold for the continent, is it real value for time and good return on investment?

From Forum of China Africa Cooperation, to France Africa Summit and this, is not the last to be attended, in fact from the UK Africa summit, the next port of gathering is DAVOS 2020-World Economic Forum, one seamless strategy of assured internally generated revenue for the Swiss government from this yearly gathering since 1998,when it first held. Isn't it high time the priorities of which summit and forums to attend, and agenda to push for Africa be home grown, internally driven and measurable?

Africa continues to be in dire need of sustainable development but can it afford same of the same lopsided trade talks, deals and agreement that has not yet transformed Africa nor commensurate same le intensity of the gatherings. History has proven thus.

Africa must cherry pick based on mutual benefits from design to finish, pontificated by the mutual need and drive for true development of Africa's people, land and resources. African leaders and their advisers must wear vision as a thinking cap too beckon a mindset way past the 21st century. Africa's needs and realities in a checklist mode must suffice and from thorough research, collective analysis and validation then profusely articulated to all our potential investors with kids gloves off. We are a cluster of sovereign nations we should be sovereign in partnership with our allied and investment partners.

Is Africa at these summits to state clearly to its investors policies which should include local economic development using local resources and manpower, does it include employment laws that protect its citizens from exploitation and abuse. Will Africa be telling its investment partners in firm tones that it is not tolerant or accepting of anything less than the best practices in their own countries on all areas that enables them to thrive;such as on business laws and policies around bribery and corruption,taxation ,land and workforce, to mention a few? How about mutual respect for building institutions of accountability, their watchdogs respectively. I mean the third sector. Already African NGOs- the watchdog of both government and private sector in Africa, have been excluded from this summit, a red flashing light, pointing to the level of openness or the absence of it in going forward with which the host party will welcome scrutiny.

Now more than any other time is the need for Africa to look deeper and inwardly, to be bold to embrace and utilize 100 percent of its human capacity and resources. At least one African country can dare and commit to focusing 90 percent on its internal capabilities and resources. I bet a surprise and turn around awaits us all. So which African country will bell the cat?