Luis Franceschi

“Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend”. Mao Zedong’s May 1956 statement, motivated by Nikita Khrushchev’s denunciation of Stalin in February the same year, was designed to permit greater freedom of thought and speech by Chinese intellectuals. Africa faces a unique moment to create a demographic dividend in letting its own thousand (or more) flowers bloom. Just like Mao’s plan, this will hinge on opening up the system to openness.

Monday, November 30, 2020 President Uhuru Kenyatta during the official opening of the United Nations-The Nairobi Hospital (UN-TNH) Covid-19 treatment facility in Nairobi County on November 13, 2020.

Friday, October 02, 2020 President Uhuru Kenyatta launches the cargo freight services of the Standard Gauge Railway at Port Reitz Station in Mombasa on May 30, 2017. The standard gauge railway (SGR) is quite a great idea. PHOTO | SAMUEL MIRING'U | PSCU By Luis Franceschi Senior director, governance & peace The Commonwealth, London What you need to know: Africa’s highly indebted poor countries, during the post-independence era, borrowed beyond their ability to pay.