Imagining the future of Africa 2025
Introduction
Africa is one of the most populous and largest continent in the world, second to Asia, with the
population of about 1.1 billion as of 2013 and a total land area of about 30.2 km2 which
constitute about six percent of the earth total surface area (World population data sheet, 2013).
Africa is the richest continent in the world blessed with abundant natural resources, yet it is
considered as one of the world’ most poorest and underdeveloped continent stricken by war,
diseases, poverty, high level illiteracy and corruption.
Africa is a very diverse continent with a lot of cultures, with more than a 1000 different
languages spoken on the continent, which makes Africa the most multilingual continent in the
world. Various religions are practiced in Africa, but Christianity and Islam are considered to be
the largest religions been practiced in Africa.
In her article title “Africa Youth, Innovation and the changing society” Njideka U. Hary stated
that Africa has the youngest population among all continents of the world, about 50% of the
population are younger than 25. This statistics clearly tell us that the future of Africa is in the
hands of the young people, who make up majority of the population of the African continent.
Africa 2025 is more likely to become very prosperous, economically diverse and industrialized
continent, should African countries and leaders start doing more to empower the youth, reduce
poverty and provide equal economic opportunities. Critical aspects regarding governance,
democracy, economic are likely to be driven by African ideas and initiatives.
Economic Challenges
Economic growth in African countries increased over the last two decades. Economies of
some African countries still continue to grow at higher rates compared to some developed
countries, natural resources such as oil, uranium, diamonds etc. has been a major contributing
factor to this growth. Because growth in Africa is driven by the high demand of its natural
resources, the growth didn’t create enough jobs and neither did it reduce/eradicate poverty.
Yes, this growth is temporary sustaining governments but not a long term solution to sustain
growth in Africa. Africa cannot continue to depend on exporting its resources as raw materials,
hence the need for African governments to diversify their economies and begin to invest in
manufacturing and agriculture.
The economic crisis of 2008 which led to food insecurity has shown us that although the richest
continent in the world, Africa is still hugely dependent on America, Europe and other continents
for food and other basic essentials. A study led by Professor Calestous Juma presented that
by transforming (changing) from importer to self-sufficiency, Africa can produce enough food
to feed itself and the world. Dr Juma also stated that "We have come to the end of a century
of policies that favoured Africa's export of raw materials and importation of food”. With its vast
fertile land, wetlands and abundant natural resources, Africa can become a producer of
various commodities from food to manufacturing of diamond jewellery, vehicles and other
products.
The major challenge preventing Africa from becoming the great continent it ought to be is the
greediness of politicians, lack of an African economic model, high corruption, lack of trade
among African countries and foreign interference in the African agenda. Resources or income
generated from African resources is not equally distributed/shared among inhabitants but used
to enrich a few elite. Another major setback for growth and sustainable development in Africa
has been the adoption/usage of wrong policies and power vested in the wrong people. Lack
of trading among African governments has resulted to the shipment African resources (natural
resources) out of the continent as raw materials.
Agricultural innovation such aqua-culture, irrigation scheme are becoming the focus of most
governments in Africa and it is seen as the new driver for regional trade and economic
prosperity. The embracement of ICT (Information Communication and Technology) in some
African countries continue to inspire education, innovation and learning in Africa. The mobile
revolution in Africa continue to inspire solutions that solves challenges facing people in Africa
especially the poor, this clearly show us that Africa is ready to take up its rightful place among
the continents of the world.
Environmental challenges
The growth in most African countries is not sustainable because most African countries relies
on donor funding, loans to fund government programmes and are unable to provide basic
needs to majority if their people. The Economic Report on Africa 2013 it stated that “African
countries have a real opportunity, individually and collectively, to promote economic
transformation and to address poverty, inequality and youth unemployment. They can
capitalize on their resource endowments and high international commodity prices as well as
changes in how global production processes are organized”.
Africa has abundant resources and needs to use its resources to its advantage, African
countries should support each other and avoid exporting their resources as raw materials.
Hence African countries needs set up manufacturing industries which will add value to African
resources before their exported out of the continent, this will help create more jobs to millions
of unemployed African youth and will make Africa a self-reliant continent. Trade, unity and
support (financial, strategic, human resource etc.) among African countries should increase
by 2025 to make the African growth more sustainable and inclusive.
Failure to transform has been the main reason why most African countries still remain fragile
to external shocks and high sustainable growth seem impossible to achieve. Transformation
will require these countries to diversify and industrialize their economies, which can be looked
at in terms of employment, commodities produced, commodities sold to foreign countries.
According to Africa-BRICS cooperation report on Implications for Growth, Employment and
structural Transformation in Africa, “Countries blessed with resource endowments have a duty
to themselves and to other African countries to embark on an industrial strategy aimed at
maximizing backward and forward processing linkages from the commodity sectors.”
Rural-urban migration is another major challenge facing Africa, hence African countries need
to decentralize development, create more jobs in rural areas, encourage and integrate rural
communities in the economy without having to migrate. Africa should invest in initiatives such
solar energy, wind energy as alternatives to provide cheaper, clean and more accessible
energy to its people. African countries should share their resources with each, e.g. dry
countries such as Namibia, Botswana etc. should be able to pump water from the huge water
reserve in and around central Africa (DR Congo, Congo Brazzaville) to use for farming and
drinking.
African countries should take charge (become their own masters) and should come up with
African ideas and initiatives to address African problems and challenges with minimal outside
interference in the African agenda. This doesn’t imply that Africa will not require international
(outside) assistance, but suggest that African development will highly depend on Africans
developing their own solutions.
Social and political challenges
African countries which enjoy peace, political stability and where freedom is freely expressed
has shown constant economic growth and stability compared to countries where there is no
peace and political stability. Conflicts, political instability and social differences (way of living,
better opportunities) in Africa compared to western countries has been a major cause of large
number of qualified African professions in diaspora, which has created professional backlog
and affected growth in Africa. Over the last decade, trade has been attributed to most growth
in Africa but this growth has not been inclusive due to political instability, conflicts, high
corruption, high youth unemployment rate and other factors in some African countries.
Informal economic activities are very common and is considered to be the source of income
for millions of families in most African countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The main
causes of informal sector are lack of sufficient opportunities created by the formal sector, high
unemployment rate which is caused by economic, political instability, crisis and conflicts. The
informal sector is posed by many challenges such as lack of decent working conditions,
informal workers’ rights are often violated, and workers are poorly protected and fluctuating
income. The informal sector create employment opportunities and is the only source of income
for millions of women and young people in Africa. Therefore any transformation to formality
should ensure that revenue is not lost for informal workers.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) state that the difference between formality and
informality has often been attributed to more than one meaning/interpretation, and that
formalisation is a step by step process and can take a very long time to be realised. Moving
out of informality will require societies/communities and all who operate in it to become formal,
which doesn’t happen overnight. So society with the help of organisations of good will (NGOs,
charitable organisations etc.) can build a bridge between formality and informality. Bridging
the gap between formality and informality will also require a change in perception in the
society/community, some people tend to go into informal business as a way of evading tax
and administration hustles in the formal sector.
According to ILO, Social economy refers to organisations such as cooperatives, NGOs, which
produce goods, provide services and knowledge while satisfying both economic and social
objectives. Social economy has been identified as key to bridge the gap between informal and
formal sectors of the economy, thus increasing income, profits, productivity and competition.
This can be achieved by combining social objectives with economic growth sustainability, to
create opportunities, empower, protect and increase the bargaining power of informal workers.
To ensure the success of social economy, governments and social organisations should form
partnerships, whereby governments come up with policies that protect, provide a conducive
environment for informal workers to prosper and social organisations come up with initiatives
to educate, encourage community projects in agriculture, manufacturing, commerce etc. and
to empower social workers with knowledge. Governments and social partners need to fully
recognise the potential of social economy in bridging the gap between informal and formal
economies.
Conclusion
African countries therefore need to engineer transformation based on effective policies that
will diversify economies, create more jobs for the youth, reduce poverty, and speed up
sustainable growth. Transformations should make growth more inclusive, improve social
development to create equitable wealth. Countries should start looking at social economy as
real alternative to compliment sustainable development and growth. Sustainable development
and growth will be impossible/unachievable should high rate of unemployment among the
youth continue to exist.
References:
1. 2013 World Population Data Sheet. Retrieved: http://www.prb.org/pdf13/2013-WPDSinfographic_MED.pdf
2. African Youth, Innovation and the Changing Society. Retrieved:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/njideka-u-harry/african-youth-innovation_b_3904408.html
3. ECONOMIC REPORT ON AFRICA 2013. Retrieved:
http://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/publications/era2013_eng_fin_low.pdf
4. Africa-BRICS cooperation: Implications for Growth, Employment and structural
Transformation in Africa. 2013.
5. International Labour Organisation, Moving out of informality: The role of social
economy, 2011.