The year ends in fear, not relief, and the developing world stands most at risk
As the year draws to a close, there is little sense of comfort in the world. Instead of relief, there is tension. Wars continue, global rivalries are sharpening, and trust between nations is thinning. For many people, the concern is no longer whether instability will grow, but how far it might spread, and how long it might last.
Not long ago, peace was widely assumed. Conflict felt distant, limited to certain regions, or manageable through diplomacy. That assumption is fading. Across Europe, governments are increasing military spending, strengthening civil defence systems, and warning their citizens to prepare for difficult times ahead.
In June 2024, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, speaking at the NATO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels, warned that Russia could be capable of confronting NATO within five years if current trends continue. His message was blunt: Europe can no longer treat peace as guaranteed.
Similar warnings have come from national leaders. In February 2024, Germany’s Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, told the Bundestag that his country must be ready for the possibility of war in the coming decade, urging Germans to accept that security would require sacrifice.
These were not dramatic statements made for headlines. They were signs of a world adjusting to danger.
What makes this moment especially troubling is that fear is no longer limited to the coming year. There is a growing sense that instability could define the next decade. War talk is becoming normal.
While powerful countries focus on military readiness, the developing world watches with concern. Africa, in particular, stands exposed. It is not driving today’s global tensions, yet it is often among the first to suffer their consequences.
If global conflict expands, Africa is likely to feel it first through economic pain rather than military action. Disrupted supply chains push food and fuel prices higher.
Weaker currencies make imports more expensive. According to the World Bank, more than 60 per cent of African countries are already at high risk of debt distress. A prolonged global crisis would worsen this situation.
African leaders have warned about this repeatedly. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cautioned that wars and geopolitical rivalries were undoing years of development progress in Africa, even when those wars were fought far away.
He expanded on this warning at the Munich Security Conference in February 2024, where he argued strongly that Africa must not become a stage for proxy conflicts. “Africa must not be drawn into the geopolitical rivalries of others,” he said, urging the world to choose dialogue over division and cooperation over confrontation.
This message remains relevant. As global tensions rise, Africa’s strategic importance is growing. Its minerals, energy resources, trade routes, and diplomatic influence are increasingly valuable. This brings opportunity, but also risk. Pressure to take sides is real.
Ghana’s current President, John Dramani Mahama, acknowledged this changing global environment in his inauguration address on January 7, 2025. Speaking at Black Star Square, he noted that Ghana was taking office “at a time of deep global uncertainty,” and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to peace, diplomacy, and balanced international relations.
That commitment matters. Ghana’s long-standing foreign policy of non-alignment and peaceful engagement has served it well. In a divided world, that approach is not weakness, it is wisdom.
The key question now is how Africa can protect itself from the fallout of global instability.
One answer lies in stronger regional cooperation. African countries must work more closely through the African Union and regional blocs to coordinate economic policy, security efforts, and diplomatic positions.
Another lies in self-reliance. Greater investment in food security, local manufacturing, and energy independence can reduce exposure to global shocks. The less Africa depends on distant supply chains, the more resilient it becomes.
Africa must also speak more clearly on the global stage. Neutrality does not mean silence. It means confidently advocating for peace, reform of global institutions, fairer trade, and sustainable development.
There is reason for cautious optimism. Africa has the world’s youngest population, growing technological capacity, and increasing diplomatic weight. These are strengths that can be used to shape outcomes, not just endure them.
As the year ends, the most worrying sign is how normal fear has become. War planning feels permanent. Crisis language is routine. Peace is discussed less as a goal and more as a break between conflicts.
For the developing world, this is deeply concerning. When global systems fail, poorer nations suffer first and recover last. They did not cause today’s instability, yet they bear much of its cost.
The coming year will test global leadership, and African leadership too. The dangers are real. But so is the opportunity for Africa to insist on peace, protect its interests, and refuse to be dragged into conflicts not of its making.
The year may end in fear. But Africa still has a choice not to end in despair.
