Pope Francis spent his papacy reminding the world of a profound truth: an economy that discards people is not only unjust - it is unsustainable.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the growing crisis of sovereign debt across Africa.
Today, more than half of low-income African countries are either in debt distress or at high risk of it. Governments are forced to choose between repaying external creditors and investing in healthcare, education, or climate resilience. In some nations, servicing debt consumes over 40 of public revenues - more than double what is spent on social protection.
This is not the result of profligacy alone. It is the outcome of a broken international system - one that Pope Francis rightly criticised for placing financial markets above human dignity.
The consequences are stark. Economies stall. Investment dries up. Frustration and hopelessness grow among a generation of young Africans who should be driving global prosperity, but instead find their futures mortgaged away. This is not only an African problem it is a global one. In an interconnected world, spiralling instability anywhere becomes a threat everywhere.