African diaspora the key to continental development

In his new book, Time for Africa, Khaled Igué, an investment banker and president of the Club 2030 Africa advisory group, offers a roadmap intended to reconcile big business and grassroots solutions to ensure the future development of the continent.

Khaled Igué, founder of the think tank Club 2030 Africa, and author of a book on sustainable development. Khaled Igué

Named Young Global Leader by the World Economic forum in 2018, Khaled Igué insists that the future of African development must be inclusive and sustainable.

Proudly straddling two cultures, having grown up in Benin and studied in Europe and the United States, Igué stresses the importance of African youth.

Aided by the think tank that he founded in 2012, Club 2030 Africa, he promotes the conviction that the African disapora has all the solutions it needs to build the continent of the future.

"African countries need to focus on cooperation amongst themselves, rather than competition. They need to make changes from within, not wait for outside help," he says.

The role of women in Africa's development also takes centre stage in his view, in fact, they will "take men's place in leadership" over the next thirty years.

Khaled Igué also explains that international business summits like Davos in Switzerland are not necessarily at odds with sustainable development goals, and that solutions can be found if you combine investment with education and social business.

Khaled Igué's book, Time for Africa; towards a sustainable and inclusive development, is due to be published by Hermann Press in English later this year.