Why strong institutions remain Africa’s true growth engine — Mcebisi Jonas, MTN Group Chairman

In an insightful assessment of governance standards across the continent, the Chairman of MTN Group, Mcebisi Jonas, has warned that Africa’s long-term economic redemption rests entirely on the independence and resilience of its core public institutions. Speaking during the MTN’s The Y’ello Chair vodcast that debuted on August 2, 2026, the corporate titan asserted that fragile governance frameworks continue to destroy economic inclusion and starve the region of critical investments.

Jonas emphasised that building a sustainable economy requires deliberate structural effort rather than mere political promises. According to him, Africa must consciously protect its public bodies from political interference if it ever hopes to build a globally competitive ecosystem. Expressing deep worry over institutional decay, Jonas remarked, “You need to hardwire democracy, you need to hardwire economic growth, you need to hardwire economic inclusion. Institutions are central in that process… Once you rubbish your institutions, the country goes down the tube.”

Drawing on his own nation’s historical struggles, Jonas noted how South Africa narrowly averted a total systemic breakdown by protecting its judicial boundaries, though he cautioned that vigilance remains non-negotiable. He observed that the ultimate test of any healthy democracy is whether a government can humbly submit to the rule of law. “There are few countries in the continent where [the] government goes to court and loses a case,” Jonas lamented, pinpointing judicial autonomy and impartial electoral commissions as the non-negotiable benchmarks of true institutional health.

Hard economic data strongly validates Jonas’s thesis. According to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report, foreign direct investment (FDI) into Africa rebounded to $97 billion in 2024, raising the continent’s share of global inflows from four to six per cent, driven largely by 36 per cent of global pro-investment policy reforms originating from the continent. However, experts stress that such capital flows remain highly volatile and tend to flee at the slightest sign of political instability or judicial compromise.

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Tying institutional integrity directly to investor confidence, Jonas noted that capital is fundamentally cowardly – it flows only to destinations where credibility is guaranteed by law rather than whim. As fiscal headwinds worsen across developing economies, Jonas warned African governments against taking shortcuts or manipulating tax policies at the expense of structural credibility, emphasising that a country’s economic survival depends on predictable, independent institutions.