Pan-African campaign launches on Africa Day to spotlight the continent Africans are already building
ADDIS ABABA / JOHANNESBURG / NAIROBI / LAGOS / ACCRA, 25 May 2026/ African Media Agency (AMA)/ – Opportunity Africa launches #NotWaiting today on Africa Day, calling on Africans across the continent and diaspora to spotlight the people, ideas, businesses and progress already shaping Africa’s future.
The campaign is grounded in a simple belief: if Africans begin to see themselves differently, the world will too.
Across Africa, entrepreneurs are building globally competitive companies, creators are shaping culture, communities are driving local innovation, and a new generation is redefining what African ambition looks like. Yet many of these stories remain overshadowed by narratives that focus almost exclusively on crisis, lack and limitation.
#NotWaiting exists to shift that balance by creating a collective movement of Africans choosing to amplify what is working, who is building, and where progress is happening.
This is not a collection of rare success stories. It is the pattern of an entire continent in motion.
The campaign invites people to participate by posting stories, people and ideas they believe deserve greater visibility, using the hashtag #NotWaiting. Participants can also sign the campaign Manifesto and share stories at www.notwaiting.africa.
The campaign will continue the 25th of every month, creating a recurring moment where Africans collectively flood the internet with stories of progress, creativity, innovation and opportunity from across the continent and diaspora.
Faith Adhiambo, Senior Communication Officer – Agenda 2063 African Union, said on behalf of AU Director of Communication Leslie Richer: “Africa Day has always represented belief in Africa’s future and pride in Africa’s identity. #NotWaiting captures the energy of a generation that is no longer waiting to be seen, validated or defined by others. Africans are already building the future they want, and this campaign helps make that visible to us and to the world.”
Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, said: “#NotWaiting is about making our stories more visible to Africans first. Because if we begin to look at ourselves differently, the world will see us differently too.”
Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder of Brand Africa and Chancellor of Sol Plaatje University, said: “Africa cannot build confidently while constantly reflecting itself through narratives of deficiency. #NotWaiting is a statement of confidence from a continent already in motion, and a reminder that Africa’s image should be shaped by its people, not inherited perceptions.”
For further information, please contact:
Lerato Mogoatlhe: Lerato@africanofilter.org; +2783 553 4623.
Visit www.notwaiting.africa to sign the Manifesto, share your story, and join the movement.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of Africa No Filter
About Opportunity Africa
Opportunity Africa is a pan-African movement working to reframe Africa as a continent of opportunity, progress, innovation and creativity. Convened by Africa No Filter, Brand Africa and partners including the African Union, it brings together brands, institutions, storytellers and communities to build collective momentum behind a more confident and opportunity-led story of Africa. www.opportunityafrica.africa
About Africa No Filter
Africa No Filter is an advocacy organisation working to shift stereotypical narratives about Africa and support a more balanced, dynamic and accurate understanding of the continent. Through community building and advocacy, it supports storytellers to tell richer, more nuanced stories that reflect Africa’s progress, agency and potential. Africa No Filter is a donor collaborative funded by Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Hilton Foundation and Hewlett Foundation. www.africanofilter.org
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