Africa still under modern colonization— Edmund Agbo declares

Professor Edmund Ugwu Agbo, a prominent African scholar and Chief Organizer of African Week 2025, has raised serious concerns over what he described as “modern colonization” by Western powers, accusing them of deliberately keeping Africa poor, dependent, and underdeveloped.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of African Week 2025 in Abuja, Professor Agbo—who also serves as a Professor of Law at the United Nations University for Peace—said colonialism may have officially ended, but Africa is still being controlled through more sophisticated and indirect methods.

“We are in a worse kind of colonization,” he stated. “It is no longer about land—it is now about control through debt, manipulation, and foreign-backed bad leadership.”

According to Prof. Agbo, many African leaders currently in power are either unqualified or are deliberately backed by foreign governments to ensure they remain pliable and ineffective.

“They support leaders who are too weak to defend Africa’s interests. That way, the whole continent remains weak and easily manipulated,” he said.

He cited examples like Libya and Burkina Faso, stressing that foreign interference has often resulted in chaos and instability.

“Gaddafi’s Libya was stable. After foreign powers helped to remove him, the country descended into turmoil,” he added.

Professor Agbo warned that Africa cannot attain real progress unless it rejects foreign systems that do not align with its realities.

“We must define our own democracy and stop copying systems that don’t work for us. Africa must stop waiting for help—we must take charge of our own future.”

He also criticized the current educational systems across many African countries, describing them as colonial relics designed to produce followers, not leaders.

“We were trained to serve, not to lead. But today, with the internet and new tools, young Africans can liberate their minds and reshape their destinies.

This year’s African Week carries the theme: “African-European and Africa-Asia Cooperation for a Shared Future”, aligning with the African Union’s broader focus on “Justice for Africa and People of African Descent Through Reparation.”

Professor Agbo argued that true reparation for Africa must begin with restoring self-worth and dismantling the psychological chains of colonialism.

“We were not just robbed of resources—we were robbed of identity and humanity. Reparation must include mental healing,” he said.

Originally a UNESCO initiative, African Week has evolved into a global celebration of African culture, identity, and resilience. The 2025 edition is being marked in Abuja, Rome, Bitonto, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the United States.

Professor Agbo expressed hope that future editions would return more fully to the African continent, where he believes the movement can take deeper root.