From dependency to sovereignty: The Global South's third way vision

The Organisation Southern Corporation (OSC) hosted a global livestream titled "The third way," under the leadership of the OSC general secretary, Manssour Bin Mussallam, on Sunday, 2 November 2025 at 4:30 PM ( East Africa) to strengthen the sovereignty and resilience of the Southglobe. This virtual event was live on different social media platforms including (twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

OSC was founded on 29 January 2021 and its headquartered is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. OSC is an intergovernmental body, and its members are mostly countries from the southern hemisphere.

The OSC aims to foster intellectual, technical, and financial cooperation and solidarity between its member states to change their education systems. The core purpose of "The Third Way" livestream is to strengthen resilience and sovereignty of the southern globe by establishing a distinct identity during the time of the Third Industrial Revolution era. 

The event presented a pathway to their member states to reshape their system without rejecting the global system. "This Third Way" is not just about how to reshape the system of the southern countries but it is also about equity, inclusion and sustainability.

Manssour Bin Mussallam said."Our goal is not to reject the global system — but to reshape it so the South participates as co‑creator, not just as dependent recipient".

 The old model was characterised by the dependency of the southern countries on Western capitalism and aid-based growth, which constrained them to meet their external priorities and conditions.

The general secretary of OSC mainly focuses on the following sectors during his session.

Sovereignty-Enhancing Sectors

General Secretary of OSC Manssour Bin Mussallam emphasised the sovereignty-enhancing sectors needing food security and sustainable agriculture (ensuring that countries can produce enough food for themselves so they don't need to import from other parts of the world) renewable and affordable energy (producing affordable energy for industrial growth and domestic use), digital infrastructure and technology sovereignty( relying on their own tech houses rather than the other big tech giants) indigenous knowledge and cultural Preservation ( valuing traditional skills and promoting owm language and culture). These are the main aspects of sovereignty through which South can compete in the global system. 

Equity and Global Rebalancing 

All the information and major institutions in the world are controlled by the North, he pointed out, and the South should focus on correcting global asymmetries and advocating for the Global South in international decision-making. Fair and equal representation in world affairs is their right. This power Imbalance directly affects the economy, education and climate change. He clearly addressed that the OSC's mission is to reshape and rebalance this system to give the global south an equal and fair voice in shaping the world system and redefine the real meaning of development. 

Education and Knowledge System

Manssour Bin Mussallam stresses the need for educational system reforms. Education is the central part of achieving sovereignty. He highlighted the importance of education because education is the key to empowering the nation. OSC advocates the decolonised education that prepares the future generation to build an equitable South. Oragination South Corporation (OSC) Global Confederation of Higher Education (GCUB) scholarship program launched these scholarships to strengthen the academic community among the southern countries. Through this, students at the master's and Phd levels can get partially funded or fully funded scholarship in any southern country.

Mr Mussallam concluded by encouraging all Southern institutions and partners to embrace the spirit of self-reliance and collective responsibility. He noted that sustainable development requires co-creation of solutions that reflect the South’s unique challenges and strengths. 

New world information and communication order (NWICO) and organisation  south Corporation (OSC)  third way are very similar to each other. NWICO emphasised on free flow of information, cultural Preservation and need of communication sovereignty between north and south globe. Similarly, the OSC strongly highlighted the empowerment through digital sovereignty, indigenous knowledge and cultural identity. Both frameworks encourage the reshaping of the system.

The New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) and the OSC’s “Third Way” vision share many similarities. NWICO emphasized the free flow of information, cultural preservation, and the need for communication sovereignty between the Global North and South. Similarly, the OSC strongly highlights empowerment through digital sovereignty, indigenous knowledge, and cultural identity. Both frameworks encourage the reshaping of the global system toward greater balance, independence, and inclusivity.