- In the recent past, the debate on Africa has shifted from entrenched Afro-pessimism to frantic Afro-optimism and more recently ‘Afro-realism,’ an alternative buzzword most recently used by Mo Ibrahim, Africa’s most famous advocate for better governance and leadership.
- To Ibrahim, there is demand across Africa for sound policies and interventions based on data aimed at addressing her challenges.
Image: HANDOUT
In May 2000, the Economist named Africa, “the hopeless continent” on its front page.
For some time, this headline became a go-to example in the global arena and strongly buttressed the Afro-pessimist school of thought.
This school of thought homogenizes Africa as a doomed continent unable to govern itself and denotes it with disease, disaster, debt and death.
Later day Afro pessimists quote the spat of coups in the Sahel region, the interregnum in Sudan, the economic doldrums occasioned by failure to repay the Eurobond by Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia, the clawing back of democratic gains across the continent and the rise of majoritarian rule among other retrogressive cases.
In the recent past, the debate on Africa has shifted from entrenched Afro-pessimism to frantic Afro-optimism and more recently ‘Afro-realism,’ an alternative buzzword most recently used by Mo Ibrahim, Africa’s most famous advocate for better governance and leadership.
To Ibrahim, there is demand across Africa for sound policies and interventions based on data aimed at addressing her challenges.
This school of thought believe that Africa’s potential is huge compared to her peers in the developing world and some in the developed world that are burdened by ageing populations, financial crises, widening budget deficits, a growing passive political culture and growing social demands.
Today, Africa finds itself at an important crossroads.
Over the past five decades, many positive developments have taken place.
Overall, education and human development have improved tremendously with sustained economic growth presenting genuine opportunities for improving peoples’ livelihoods in the longer term.
On the flipside, the growing youth bulge presents a herculean task as unemployment alone is estimated to reach 7% this year with youth unemployment rates in Namibia, Angola and South Africa estimated to be above 40%.
The spat of coup de tats in the Sahel region continues to threaten the democratic trajectory that the continent had assumed.
Many structural weaknesses persist, which can compromise the emerging gains.
The pressure to tackle these challenges simultaneously is probably the most complex task Africa faces today.
The painful truth is that there are too many competing priorities that African governments need to address simultaneously amid limited resources.
Policy-makers face difficult choices, and complex trade-offs need to be considered for our economies to stay afloat.
For instance, economic growth in contexts of high-income inequality is likely to reinforce or even exacerbate existing patterns of income and wealth distribution.
High levels of inequality constitute a heavy burden on Africa.
They compromise poverty reduction efforts, youth employment initiatives and future growth rates, and also increase the vulnerability to violent conflict, in particular crime.
For example, putting resources into infrastructure investment, such as roads and rail, means limiting the resources available for other priority areas, like maternal health or access to education or skills development programs that are key to youth development.
On the other hand, many choices and policies are complementary and generate positive spin-offs, for instance, improved female secondary education is linked to reductions in population growth rates, better living standards and improved household income.
This is why integrated policy analysis is so important: everything is connected somehow.
Africa is the world's most youthful continent, with 70% of the population under the age of 30.
Projections by the UN show that the world population will hit 10 billion people by 2055 with 95% of this growth will take place in low and middle-income countries.
Of this growth, Africa will account for 57% of growth (1.4 billion people).
By 2100 half of the world’s young people will be African, better still, by 2035; Africa’s working-age population will exceed that of China or India.
Youth is a major resource.
This population dividend provides an opportunity for the continent to address Africa’s sustainable development challenges and forms the bedrock of African progress, innovation, courage and achievement setting the pedestal for Afro-optimism.
I am an Afro-optimist.
Admittedly, it is impossible to predict the future but by the projections based on data trends, Africa's future can only be said to be luminous.
True to Malcolm X: the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.
Africa needs to think more systematically about longer-term trends.
Our continent must plan for the future if it is to take advantage of the opportunities arising from sustained economic growth and other positive developments.
Very few African governments undertake studies of long-term political, economic, social and security trends, or engage in integrated policy analysis and long-term planning to inform policy decisions.
In the absence of such efforts, the often-evoked notion of African ownership is meaningless.
But all is not lost. Africa Union’s Agenda 206, launched in 2013 presents a brilliant well well-thought-out blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse of the future.
It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development and is a concrete manifestation of the Pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.
This is our North Pole, Our Compass over maps that every member state has a salient duty of domesticating and ratifying in legislation and policy framework to spur the intended transformation.
While undertaking the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) by the US State Department that brought together a constellation of Africa’s current and future leaders, it was profound interacting with youth leaders from public service, political and civic space, and the private sector.
It was inspiring and motivating to share a stage with African youth leaders who refuse to shy away from the very real challenges of Africa; optimistic, solid and fervent with a fire burning in their belly to cause progressive change in their nations and across the continent.
Indeed, they are honest about what needs to be done and what their role has to be to achieve this, and they are overwhelmingly keen to stand out to be counted and make that difference.
If and when plugged into the Africa Agenda 2063, such leaders of this generation cutting across all spheres of human interest can ultimately deliver the vision of a cohesive, peaceful and prosperous Africa.
Africa needs to deepen its strategic reflection and deliberately include the youth's voices and aspirations to plan for the longer term.
The future indeed belongs to Africa, only if Africa prepares for it today.
And the African young people should be at the centre of it.
Alex Matere is a public policy expert and an IVLP Alumni serving as the Executive Director, Youth Bridge Kenya.