Across Africa, there is a growing recognition that the time has come to reconsider how we define wealth. For generations, the continent’s value has been measured primarily through traditional economic indicators such as gross domestic product. These measures focus on production and extraction, often ignoring the natural foundations that support life, livelihoods, and long-term prosperity.
Despite increasing philanthropic efforts in sectors like health, education, and entrepreneurship, investments in nature remain minimal. This imbalance has serious consequences. It leads to weak environmental protection, short-sighted policy decisions, and a narrative that centers on scarcity instead of strength and responsibility. The need to correct this course is especially urgent in the area of conservation.
One example is the mountain bongo, a critically endangered antelope found only in Kenya. Fewer than one hundred individuals remain in the wild, yet the species carries significant ecological, cultural, and economic value. As the Patron and primary investor in the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, I have committed more than one million dollars annually to efforts aimed at saving the mountain bongo from extinction. The ultimate goal is to restore the species to its natural habitat and allow it to thrive once more in the wild.
This is not simply a philanthropic gesture. It is a deliberate and strategic decision to invest in biodiversity, forest restoration, community participation, and scientific collaboration. It is a clear statement that Africa’s natural resources are not expendable and that the responsibility for their protection must lie primarily with Africans themselves.
Valuing What Sustains Us
Africa’s forests, rivers, coastlines, and species rarely appear in economic planning documents. Their absence from formal accounting frameworks leaves them exposed to misuse and degradation. Economic growth may be recorded when a forest is cleared, but there is no mention of the water lost, the carbon released, or the long-term damage to ecosystems and livelihoods.
To address this, natural capital must be incorporated into national economic planning. The continent’s ecosystems are not peripheral. They are essential to agriculture, tourism, climate stability, and rural development. They are assets that sustain life and growth, and they must be treated as such.
The mountain bongo program illustrates this point. It is more than a conservation effort. It is a generator of tourism, a symbol of national identity, a buffer against climate change, and a source of employment and community pride. Yet in conventional economic terms, its contributions are largely invisible. This oversight must be corrected.
Mobilizing Africa’s Private Wealth
Africa does not suffer from a lack of wealth. The challenge is to direct it toward efforts that ensure sustainability and long-term impact. According to the 2023 Africa Wealth Report, the continent is home to more than one hundred thirty-five thousand millionaires and nearly twenty billionaires. The financial resources exist. The question is how they are being used.
If just a small portion of private wealth were allocated to ecosystem restoration and protection, the benefits would be far-reaching. Such investment would strengthen wildlife populations, secure water sources, support carbon markets, grow eco-tourism, and revitalize rural economies.
A new generation of African investors is beginning to recognize this. These leaders understand that conservation is not an act of charity, but a strategic investment in stability, resilience, and future prosperity. Their efforts are creating a new narrative—one that places ownership and leadership within Africa itself and that reflects pride in safeguarding our shared natural heritage.
Building a Lasting Legacy
The mountain bongo initiative is not only about saving a species. It represents a deeper shift in how Africa must envision its future. The conservation of this antelope, which exists nowhere else in the world, demonstrates how intentional local investment can preserve ecosystems that are central to our identity and survival.
This perspective also redefines the meaning of legacy. It challenges Africa’s business and political leaders to think beyond physical monuments and financial empires. A true legacy lies in ensuring that Africa remains whole and vibrant, with its natural wealth intact for future generations.
While the mountain bongo is one example, many other species across the continent face similar threats. Each of them serves as a reminder that Africa’s true value lies not only in what it produces, but in what it is willing to protect.
A Sustainable Vision for Growth
Africa’s economic narrative must evolve. It cannot rely solely on what is extracted or exported. Long-term prosperity depends on the preservation of forests, water systems, wildlife, and clean air. These are the foundations of social and economic stability. When they are depleted, the prospects for the future are diminished.
There is an alternative path, one in which nature is fully integrated into national planning and investment strategies. In this vision, protecting ecosystems is not a secondary concern but a central pillar of development. Sustainability is not a constraint but a competitive advantage.
This shift is already taking place in areas where conservation is being approached as a serious and strategic priority. What is needed now is scale, leadership, and a shared vision. In the decades to come, Africa’s most valuable asset may not be its minerals or data, but its natural environment and the collective commitment to protect it.
