Africa is underpricing its diplomatic power

Africa’s geopolitical leverage is usually measured in terms of natural resources and strategic location. The continent has critical minerals, an expanding market and important sea lanes. Yet one of its most consequential but less frequently highlighted assets is the collective power of its people, comprising 1.5 billion people, 55 states, and a far-flung diaspora. Kenyan scholar Ali Mazrui captured this wider constituency through his concept of “Global Africa”, extending the idea of Africa beyond the continent to encompass its diasporas across the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The continent’s diaspora encompasses 350 million people of African descent. Global Africa…