Across Africa, economic reform has often been presented as a linear march, a race toward modernity. Yet, the wisdom of Ghana’s Sankofa bird offers a different lesson: sometimes progress requires looking back. Sankofa, which literally to mean “go back and get it” or “go back and take it,” when translated from Twi language, teaches that the past holds lessons critical for building a stronger future. In today’s economies of debt, poverty, and stagnant reforms, this ancient principle feels more urgent than ever.
Many of Africa’s economies underperform not because of a lack of resources or ambition, but because opportunities were squandered in moments of plenty. Mismanagement, corruption, and failure to entrench sustainable systems left nations vulnerable. Now, with populations soaring and social needs multiplying, reforms are again on the agenda. But without the humility to revisit history, today’s policies risk repeating yesterday’s mistakes. Hence, for these reforms to succeed, they must be based on different models backed by the benefits of hindsight.
In Nigeria, the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of 1986 remains one of the most consequential reform efforts. Designed to liberalise the economy, reduce state control, and attract investment, it promised transformation. Yet, four decades on, Nigeria’s economic structure remains largely unchanged. Why? Because reforms were pursued without broader transformation.
Here, Sankofa’s wisdom is instructive. Looking back critically at SAP’s mixed results can guide today’s policymakers. Why did liberalisation not diversify the economy? Why do oil revenues still dominate government finances? Why has manufacturing stagnated? Reforms must not simply shift policy frameworks; they must reshape systems in ways that last. It is important to also ask: has this principle been recently applied anywhere to achieve economic re-engineering? If it has, how was it applied? A few instances are instructive to illustrate the power of the Sankofa to drive modern economic transformation in terms of policies and processes.
Taking a cue from China’s economic trajectory as a parallel to that of Nigeria highlights how two resource-rich nations, starting from similar conditions, pursued reforms with very different outcomes. Between 1979 and 2018, under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership, China combined market-oriented policies with strong state direction. Foreign direct investment brought in capital, technology, and expertise, but reforms were anchored on deliberate long-term planning. The result was a sustained growth averaging nearly 9 percent over four decades and a transformation that turned China into the “world’s factory.”
The lesson is not to copy China, but to recognise that transformation is possible when reforms are coupled with discipline, foresight, and the willingness to learn from past failures. Four decades were enough for China to change its story. For Nigeria and much of Africa, the same window has produced little structural change. The level of contrast is sobering.
Sankofa is not only a metaphor; it lives in African traditions that still offer powerful models. Igba Boi, the apprenticeship system of Nigeria’s Southeast is a notable consideration of a thriving model. For decades, this model has functioned as a grassroots business incubator. Young apprentices serve under established traders, learning market structures, negotiation, and entrepreneurial discipline. After several years, the “Oga” settles them with startup capital or goods, enabling them to launch their own ventures.
This system has produced generations of successful entrepreneurs and remains one of Africa’s most effective wealth-distribution mechanisms. Today, some of its beneficiaries have gone on to acquire higher education such that they blend indigenous practice with formal knowledge. Drawing on Sankofa’s principle will enable policymakers to modernise and scale such models, embedding mentorship, skills development, and community-based financing into broader economic strategies.
Reform, by definition, means change. But lasting reform requires memory. To “go back and fetch” is not to romanticise the past but to retrieve what worked, discard what failed, and adapt those lessons to new realities. In the corporate sector, African companies are already applying this principle, drawing from traditional practices of collective ownership, resource sharing, and sustainability to design modern business models. The same should apply at the country level.
An economic blueprint that blends the rigour of global best practice with the wisdom of indigenous systems will yield the best of results. Reforms that recognise cultural tools as assets for growth instead of discarding them will set the stage for massive productivity. This, in actual sense is what Sankofa economics calls for.
Nigeria and Africa at large cannot afford reforms that recycle the same mistakes. As global conditions tighten with high debt, volatile commodity prices, and climate shocks, the room for error is shrinking. Learning from history is no longer optional; it is imperative. Without Sankofa, reform risks becoming an endless cycle of reinvention without transformation.
The ancient bird with its head turned backward and feet facing forward offers a powerful reminder: progress without reflection is fragile. Africa’s economies must summon the courage to look back not to dwell, but to learn and then move forward with wisdom. The challenge ahead is clear. Will reforms be pursued as mere policy adjustments, or as true transformations informed by Africa’s rich history? Sankofa teaches us that the past is not a burden but a guide. The future of Africa’s economies may well depend on whether its leaders are willing to “go back and get it.”
