The year 2015 will be remembered as a pivotal time in the recent history of Africa, and the world at large.

Indeed, this past year has been marked by dramatic events. Some of these events, not so long ago, would have seemed inconceivable to us all.

The most critical of all was the drastic fall in oil prices, at one point to a decade low. Indeed, this was an important development for countries such as Gabon, whose economies rely heavily on the exploitation of hydrocarbons.

Even so, 2015 showed us, once again, how interconnected the world in which we live really is. This ranged from the rise of the unlawful “Daesh” or Islamic State theocracy from ruins of collapsed modern states, to the mass movement of millions of immigrants from their homes in search of a better future.

What all this illustrated clearly is the urgent need for the world to rethink the current framework of international co-operation, which is no longer capable of coping with this interdependence of the world.

Nevertheless, it is worth noting that it was also last year that our community of nations was able to stand firmly together and come to an agreement on two important areas: The adoption of Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement during the COP21 Climate Change Conference.

If 2015 was a turning point that marked the end of an era of certainty and stability, we must then, in 2016, establish a new order to tackle major global issues.

This is the time for a new international world order. As I told delegates at the World Economic Forum last week, it is the time to rethink relations and relationships across the globe. This new order should, I believe, be built on four pillars.

First and foremost, we must establish an international consultative and decision-making framework that is no longer reserved for a small group of select states.

In addition to this, it must be remembered that what one considers to be progress cannot be based on or limited to the Western approach. In our interconnected world, there is no longer such a thing as small or large states, but simply states.

This new global institutional order should be reinforced by a second pillar of strengthened international solidarity. Thus, as a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas), Gabon has embarked on a mission of solidarity with countries within the bloc that have been struck by violence and terrorist attacks.

The third pillar of this new world order should be reformed models of wealth generation. In this respect, take the experience of my country, whose growth model was previously founded on the income from the extraction of raw materials. These were sold as primary resources without adding value through processing.

Even before the drop in petrol prices, we worked relentlessly to change this production model. Over the past six years, we have invested close to $6.5 billion to make up for our infrastructural deficit.

This has generated impressive results, with the growth of Gabon’s economy outside oil staying close to 10 per cent since 2010.

An immediate priority for Africa is to strengthen its economies and improve the opportunities that are available to local populations, while devising a new economic model that values local sustainability over extractivism.

It would enable Africa to break away from the lower echelons of the global economic value chain and become a competitive player on high value-added segments of the market.

This new approach requires support from the entire world, which is why I was in Davos last week seeking investment and jobs for the continent. But African business owners need to build and develop true regional African champions that reflect the continent’s collective ambition on a global level.

It should be backed by the fourth pillar of the international world order, which is our shared obligation to create new ties to strengthen the social pacts that bind us. Each nation has to discover its own model, as there is no universal solution. The Gabonese social model will not be exactly similar to the American, French and Chinese ones.

Our social pacts should evolve to remain relevant. In Gabon, for instance, we have driven efforts to rework our social pact. We should all ensure that equality of opportunity operates in our societies. We all need to find the courage and the strength to question ourselves and adapt to the future.

Ultimately, the direction of these global forces will either be controlled or they will not come to fruition. This change cannot be controlled without leadership and risk-taking on the part of politicians.

In the context of profound change and in a world that is increasingly open, Africa and Africans cannot afford to continue gambling with their future.

I am optimistic that Africa has a place in the solution that the world needs for the peaceful and prosperous future of our planet.

Ali Bongo is the president of Gabon