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Debt and pollution are choking African communities. From Bangkok, MEDI is calling for an end to new Bretton Woods lending to the continent and a justice-based path to industrialisation.
Africa is rich in people, natural resources, knowledge and possibilities. Yet across the continent, governments are increasingly trapped in cycles of debt, austerity and borrowing that threaten the ability of states to invest in the people and communities they are meant to serve.
It is time to ask a fundamental question:
How much debt can Africa carry before development itself becomes impossible?
The Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative (MEDI) is launching the LET AFRICA BREATHE Campaign to demand a new approach to development financing, one that puts people, communities, environmental sustainability and accountability before endless debt accumulation.
The campaign comes at a time when Africa continues to face mounting debt pressures, while communities across the continent bear the environmental and social consequences of development models that often prioritise extraction and repayment over human wellbeing.
Why LET AFRICA BREATHE?
For decades, African countries have borrowed to finance infrastructure, development programmes and public expenditure. Yet borrowing without strong transparency, accountability and public participation can create a burden that is ultimately transferred to ordinary citizens.
Debt repayment can mean fewer resources for:
- healthcare and education;
- environmental restoration;
- climate adaptation;
- livelihoods and social protection;
- sustainable infrastructure; and
- community development.
For communities in resource-rich regions such as the Niger Delta, the contradiction is particularly stark: communities continue to experience environmental degradation while public resources remain constrained by competing debt obligations.
Africa needs development financing that does not mortgage its future.
Our Message from Bangkok
As the global financial institutions and governments meet in Bangkok, MEDI is bringing the concerns of African communities into the conversation.
Our Executive Director, Dr. Celestine AkpoBari, is currently in Bangkok as part of MEDI’s engagement around the World Bank Group–IMF Annual Meetings.
From the Niger Delta to communities across Africa, our message is clear:
Africa cannot breathe when its future is continuously mortgaged through unsustainable debt.
Our Calls
Through the LET AFRICA BREATHE CAMPAIGN, MEDI calls for:
- A moratorium on new sovereign loans
African governments and international financial institutions must reconsider the continued expansion of sovereign lending that deepens debt vulnerability. - Debt transparency and accountability
Citizens have a right to know how loans are negotiated, where funds go and who ultimately bears the cost. - Independent debt audits
Existing debt should be subjected to transparent and independent scrutiny where necessary. - Greater public participation
Communities and citizens must have a meaningful voice in decisions that commit future generations to debt repayment. - Debt relief where necessary
Countries facing unsustainable debt burdens should have access to fair and meaningful debt relief mechanisms.
6. More sustainable alternatives to borrowing
Africa needs increased access to grants, climate finance, domestic resource mobilisation, regional cooperation and investments that strengthen local economies.
Read the Campaign Bulletin
Our campaign bulletin provides a deeper look at Africa’s debt crisis, the implications for development and the need for a more just and accountable financing system.
LET AFRICA BREATHE
This is more than a campaign about debt.
It is a campaign about Africa’s right to determine its own development future.
It is about environmental justice.
It is about economic justice.
It is about intergenerational justice.
It is about ensuring that development does not come at the cost of communities, ecosystems and future generations.
Africa deserves to breathe.
Join the conversation. Read the bulletin. Share the message.