Seven Moonshots: Inside Agenda 2063's Boldest Ambitions for 2033

When the African Union adopted the Second Ten Year Implementation Plan at its summit in February 2024, the document introduced a concept designed to make Agenda 2063 vivid, urgent, and trackable: the Seven Moonshots. Each Moonshot distils one of Agenda 2063's original seven Aspirations into a single, bold, measurable commitment that the continent has pledged to deliver by 2033. The framing borrows the ambition and clarity of the original space-race moonshot idea, a goal so concrete and visible that everyone can see whether it has been achieved.

Moonshot 1: By 2033, every African Union member state attains at least middle income status. This is the economic transformation ambition. It carries forward Aspiration 1 and its goals on living standards, transformed economies, agriculture, the blue economy and environmental sustainability. The baseline at the start of the Second Plan showed that approximately 22 of 55 AU member states were classified as middle income. Reaching all 55 by 2033 requires a significant acceleration in economic growth and structural transformation, particularly in the continent's fragile and low-income states.

Moonshot 2: By 2033, Africa is more integrated and connected. The target is at least 30 percent intra-African trade, up from a historic level of around 14 percent. The African Continental Free Trade Area is the principal instrument. This Moonshot also encompasses infrastructure connectivity, roads, railways, ports, energy grids and fibre networks that make it genuinely easier and cheaper to move people, goods and data across borders.

Moonshot 3: By 2033, public institutions are more responsive. Carrying forward Aspiration 3, this Moonshot measures trust in public institutions, accountability mechanisms, and the quality of service delivery. It reflects the lesson from the first decade that economic gains are fragile without legitimate, capable governance.

Moonshot 4: By 2033, Africa resolves conflicts amicably. This is the peace and security commitment, carrying forward Aspiration 4. It targets a fully operational African Peace and Security Architecture and a measurable reduction in the number of active conflicts on the continent. It was identified as the Moonshot with the most ground to recover after the first decade.

Moonshot 5: By 2033, African culture and values are explicit and promoted. Aspiration 5's cultural renaissance ambition is translated here into measurable investments in African creative industries, cultural heritage institutions, and the promotion of intra-African tourism and shared identity.

Moonshot 6: By 2033, Africa's citizens are more empowered and more productive. This covers Aspiration 6's education, health, gender equality and youth empowerment goals. With more than 60 percent of Africa's population under 25, this Moonshot is central to the continent's demographic opportunity. The specific targets include closing gender gaps in secondary and tertiary education, reducing youth unemployment, and expanding health coverage.

Moonshot 7: By 2033, Africa is a strong and influential global player. The final Moonshot carries forward Aspiration 7, targeting a greater African voice in global governance and a significant increase in the share of development financed from African domestic resources. Officials stressed at the launch that this Moonshot is foundational: without growing domestic resource mobilisation, the financing of the other six will remain dependent on external actors and vulnerable to global shocks.