PAUL T. SHIPALE (with inputs by Folito Nghitongovali Diawara Gaspar)
A Summit of Symbols and Struggles: The Unsteady Choreography of Power
Under the gleaming banner of “Sustainable Partnerships for Inclusive Growth”, the 2025 US-Africa Business Summit in Luanda projected itself as a pivot point in global diplomacy. Presidents shook hands, investment pledges were declared, and corridors buzzed with the language of opportunity. Yet, beyond this theatre of polished speeches and protocol smiles, the summit revealed the unsteady choreography of a continent negotiating its space between the aspiration for autonomy and the persistence of subordination.
Each African head of state arrived not merely to dialogue but to showcase, court, and persuade – in a diplomatic catwalk often more performative than truly transformative. While the stage was set for multilateralism, the underlying current was unmistakable: competition. Not just among African states seeking favour, but between old and new global suitors – Washington, Beijing, Moscow, and now Ankara and New Delhi – all vying for a foothold in Africa’s next chapter. The summit, in essence, became a microcosm of the geopolitical tensions shaping the continent’s destiny.
It is within this context of complex power dynamics that a singular moment rose above the din of investment pledges and policy platitudes: the intervention of Namibia’s President, H.E. Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. Dressed in resplendent traditional attire, her presence was both a cultural statement and a political assertion. But it was her proposal, not her fashion, that shook the summit’s foundations: an “African Industrial and Logistics Interconnectivity Mechanism”. A bold call, not for aid, but for an architecture – one that links economies, industries, and sovereignties on African terms, redefining the narrative of dependency.
The Namibian Refrain: From Supplier to Shaper of Its Own Destiny
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s intervention was a defiant departure from the summit’s recurring motif of external-led development. “We must stop being raw suppliers to the world and become producers for ourselves and for others,” she declared with unwavering clarity. It was not just a demand for beneficiation but a manifesto for economic and political autonomy. The President envisioned a transnational industrial corridor – stretching from Angola to Botswana – capable of transforming the continent’s role in the global economy from a mere resource depot to a productive and innovative epicentre.
Her words echoed in a room filled with the sartorial signatures of global luxury. While some paraded in their Armani, Gucci, and other labels of Western luxury, the President of Namibia crossed the room wearing something no brand could ever buy: presence. It wasn’t a mere runway of vanity, but the U.S.-Africa Summit held in Angola – one of the rare stages where style demands substance and symbolism dresses diplomacy. Wearing a precisely tailored traditional blue outfit and a matching headwrap, the President didn’t just show up – she made her presence felt.
As she approached the podium with the serenity of someone who knows the backstage of power and the gaze of one who has already deciphered all the subtexts, she delivered, with strategic irony and a subtle smile, ‘Invest in Namibia. We have enough uranium – and we want to use it as an alternative energy source.’ The statement, delivered with a tone that balanced pragmatism and challenge, drew smiles and sparked alertness. In an auditorium where many speak to impress, she spoke to be remembered. Because Namibia is not for sale – it is on a path toward energy sovereignty and strategic self-determination.
In the image that immortalises this moment, the Namibian Head of State radiated an elegance that transcended aesthetics: it was dignity in the form of presence. Her attire, in vibrant shades of blue with African geometric patterns, evoked harmony between cultural heritage and modern sophistication. The headwrap, perfectly matched, reinforced the image of leadership that was both resolute and ancestral.
Her poised stance at the microphone, combined with a confident expression and the cadence of her speech, conveyed a serene authority, deeply rooted. In the background, the contrast between her traditional outfit and the ceremonial uniform of the naval officer who serves as her aide de champ (ADC) accentuated the symbolic beauty of the encounter between African tradition and the modern state. This is not merely the image of a woman in command. It is a celebration of African feminine power, of diplomacy that does not bow – and of a continent that knows very well the value it holds.
In short, what President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah did was to remind the audience that sovereignty cannot be merely an accessory. What she brought to the summit was more than a policy proposal; it was an imposing presence and a claim to space. She did not perform for applause; she demanded respect and recognition. Yet, this was not just symbolism – it was strategy. Namibia, long at the crossroads of extraction and exclusion, now seeks to lead an agenda for regional industrialisation. And the message was unequivocal: the United States, if sincere in its rhetoric of “inclusive growth”, must now pivot from extracting resources to importing African-made goods. Not charity. Commerce – but with dignity and mutual respect.
Echoes of Caution: Rosado de Carvalho and the Mirage of Investment
Yet beneath the applause for such interventions lies a warning – articulated sharply by Angolan economist Carlos Rosado de Carvalho. Known for his critical assessments of Angola’s economic dependencies, Rosado de Carvalho reminds us that foreign investment, however grand in announcements, is rarely neutral. Without robust institutions and clear national priorities, such investments can become the velvet glove of economic recolonisation, disguised as progress.
“The trap of voluntary dependence”, he calls it. A scenario in which African governments, eager for capital and recognition, become enablers of their own marginalisation. Investment deals are signed – but in whose interest? If projects prioritise external profit over internal transformation, we risk swapping one dependency for another, simply dressed in the language of sustainability and digitalisation.
Rosado de Carvalho urges caution against turning summits into spectacles – where declarations mask inertia and strategic partnerships camouflage asymmetric control. Without strategic industrial policies, enforceable labour standards, and sovereign capital, the interconnectivity proposed by Namibia may remain a mere aspiration, a distant dream.
Carlos do Rosário and the Double Silencing of Africa
Mozambican scholar Carlos do Rosário goes further. In his essay “The Double Silencing of Africa”, he argues that such summits reflect a deeper structural malaise: Africa is rarely the author of its development script. Instead, it is cast as potential – fertile ground for others’ projections. Cooperation, he warns, often masks a contract of containment. The continent is welcomed, celebrated even – but only so far as it aligns with the interests of foreign capital.
Rosário identifies a disturbing paradox: African states appear to gain agency but continue to operate within financial and political frameworks defined externally. Even the most promising initiatives – like Nandi-Ndaitwah’s – risk dilution without sovereign financing, intra-African policy harmonisation, and political independence from elite capture.
“It is not enough for Africa to sit at the table,” Rosário contends. “It must bring its own cutlery, its own dishes, and – most importantly – its own recipe.” His call is not for isolationism but for endogenous planning: African priorities, funded by African means, guided by African aspirations. It is a demand for genuine self-determination.
Angola Summit: Inflection or Illusion? The Verdict of History
Was the 2025 US-Africa Summit in Angola a historic milestone or a rehearsed spectacle? That question may only be answered in retrospect. But one thing is clear: President Nandi-Ndaitwah brought to Luanda not just Namibia’s voice but Africa’s yearning – for productive sovereignty, for regional unity, and for dignity beyond dependency.
Yet, the critiques of Rosado de Carvalho and do Rosário offer the necessary friction. They remind us that speeches do not build factories, and handshakes do not ensure equitable trade. True transformation requires more than vision – it demands unwavering political will, institutional courage, and a break from the seduction of symbolic diplomacy. Namibia’s voice rang out at the summit. The question now is whether the continent will amplify it or allow it to be drowned once more in empty applause and paralysing inertia.
The Road Ahead: Africa as Negotiator, Not Negotiated
As the dust settles in Luanda, one imperative remains: Africa must cease to be the continent that is “negotiated” and become the continent that negotiates. Not merely a space for extractive transactions but a force for designing its own economic order. This means investing in public capacities, fostering intra-African trade, and demanding that cooperation flows from African terms – not imposed foreign templates.
The Africa that speaks with Namibia’s clarity is one that can no longer be ignored. But clarity must become coherence. Diplomacy must become design. The time for business as usual is over. What remains to be seen is whether Africa’s partners – and Africa itself – will recognise that undeniable truth.
On a lighter note, given President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s excellent performance in Luanda, Angola, showing real statesmanship and diplomacy, maybe it is high time that Namibia stop recycling ambassadors and concentrate on grooming young diplomats who will bring about economic diplomacy for our country. Indeed, why should we as a country take people from retirement after serving for more than 20 years as high-ranking officers, then appoint them as governors and later recycle them as ambassadors?
Despite the fact that it is important to have a mixture or amalgamation between the experienced old guard and the energetic and creative young diplomats, isn’t it high time that we give a chance for young people to take over from some of these old guards? I hope the President will keep her mantra of “No business as usual” and appoint the right people as ambassadors and high commissioners, including to countries such as Russia, China, the USA, Brazil, Cuba, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and many others, including our representatives to the United Nations and the African Union, among others.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of our employers and this newspaper but solely our personal views as citizens and Pan-Africanists.
