Africa has a tremendous opportunity to take its rightful place in the new world order that is taking shape in the aftermath of recent global crises. By far the richest continent in terms of resources, and with the youngest and most energetic people in the world, ready and eager and enterprising, wanting to get ahead, the continent has staggering potential for prosperity and for contributing to global development.
Africa can easily shrug off dependence on international development aid, if developed countries and international corporations really truly want this to happen, and choose to recognize Africa as a valued business partner, not just as a great place to dig up money and cart it away, paying off a few local heavies in the process. Oh and then sending food aid when it looks like too many people are dying. And of course if African governments truly want what is best for their people, not just what is good for the rich. The key to this transformation is for Africa to finally be allowed to use its competitive advantage, play to its strengths in a genuinely open world market, on a level playing field.
Consider that physically the world needs Africa every bit as much (if not more) than Africa needs the world. There is oil, iron ore, bauxite, uranium, lithium for your batteries, coltan for your cellphone… and probably unobtainium .. here in plenty. Pretty much everything you need to make all the machines you want, AND keep them running. Its all here, along with the diamonds and the gold.
But it doesn’t stop there. There is more. Along with the machinery and equipment and toys we all need or want, which are nearly all made with raw materials from Africa, there is the everyday question of food. We all need to eat, ideally every day. So where is all the food going to come from in the future?
Right now there are 6.5 billion of us on the planet and 2.5 billion of us (well .. of them anyway) go to bed – or to thin mat on floor - very hungry, every night. That’s not a civilized society now is it, where 4 people out of 10 are quietly starving? And by 2050 there will be 9.5 billion of us! (Unless maybe something really really good comes on TV J).
So we need to grow more food. Twice as much food as we are producing now. So where and how are we going to do that exactly, eh? Well Africa of course! It’s the only place.
But .. but … but how’s that? Isn’t Africa a net importer of food? Aren’t most of those starving people we read about Africans in Africa?. Don’t the Americans and the Europeans and the Japanese and everyone keep them all alive with development money and food aid right now? Whats all this about?
Well, let me tell you how … in my next blog!
Africa can easily shrug off dependence on international development aid, if developed countries and international corporations really truly want this to happen, and choose to recognize Africa as a valued business partner, not just as a great place to dig up money and cart it away, paying off a few local heavies in the process. Oh and then sending food aid when it looks like too many people are dying. And of course if African governments truly want what is best for their people, not just what is good for the rich. The key to this transformation is for Africa to finally be allowed to use its competitive advantage, play to its strengths in a genuinely open world market, on a level playing field.
Consider that physically the world needs Africa every bit as much (if not more) than Africa needs the world. There is oil, iron ore, bauxite, uranium, lithium for your batteries, coltan for your cellphone… and probably unobtainium .. here in plenty. Pretty much everything you need to make all the machines you want, AND keep them running. Its all here, along with the diamonds and the gold.
But it doesn’t stop there. There is more. Along with the machinery and equipment and toys we all need or want, which are nearly all made with raw materials from Africa, there is the everyday question of food. We all need to eat, ideally every day. So where is all the food going to come from in the future?
Right now there are 6.5 billion of us on the planet and 2.5 billion of us (well .. of them anyway) go to bed – or to thin mat on floor - very hungry, every night. That’s not a civilized society now is it, where 4 people out of 10 are quietly starving? And by 2050 there will be 9.5 billion of us! (Unless maybe something really really good comes on TV J).
So we need to grow more food. Twice as much food as we are producing now. So where and how are we going to do that exactly, eh? Well Africa of course! It’s the only place.
But .. but … but how’s that? Isn’t Africa a net importer of food? Aren’t most of those starving people we read about Africans in Africa?. Don’t the Americans and the Europeans and the Japanese and everyone keep them all alive with development money and food aid right now? Whats all this about?
Well, let me tell you how … in my next blog!
Hi Nick,
ReplyDeleteI really like these insights about Africa Development. I have some issues for discussion.
We know Africa has the potential of being the world leader in everything name it!. But when we find coffee we harvest and process it somewhere else NOT Africa, we develop technology, we produce it somewhere else, and so many other examples, why dont we develop the necessary processes required for production what is developed in Africa? I know issues of cost, selling price to consumers comes up but the benefit of all the integrated system, job creations, technological advancements etc outways all? What are your thoughts?
Hi Swaleh
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you, sorry to keep you. Concerning the best place to produce things, I agree that it would be wonderful if Africa had a lot better and bigger production capacity - particularly to add value right here to the raw materials/primary produce that come from here. But concerning the production of industrial goods, its usually quality and cost that drives choice. Right now China is pretty much the world's biggest and best factory. This may change in time, as labour costs go up there, or they revalue the currency. But for the time being it makes business sense to manufacture machinery in China. Sad perhaps, but true.
Hi Nick,
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, I agree with you from bussiness point of view it makes a lot of sense, but we should at least start from somewhere, not from scratch, since we have some knowledge base to pick up from. The question is when will Africa have the capacity for quality and right cost required for the industrial goods? We know, All industrialised nations of the world started from very humble begginings. Lets take the simple design like Money Maker Hip Pump as an example, for Kenya to jump start its ability to produce industrial goods it could have been the best starting point. We could have developed the necessary production processes required for economical manufacture of the pump, I believe strongly that there are many ways the Hip Pump can be made cheaper even much cheaper than it is at china if certain manufacturing processes are incooperated! That could have been the best approach to start the kenyas industrialisation dream by 2030. As designers we normally design keeping in mind the manufacturing processes available from the concept of design considerations in manufacturing, if we could have designed the hip pump for china manufacture, I believe it could have been a different pump from what it is now and eventually much cheaper than what it is now in china. Some of these are assumptions but can be achieved. Sorry for taking you along these long discussions but please bear with me, since I believe these issues could have combined social and economic development of Africa. Whats are your thoughts?
Thanks a lot for your time.
Swaleh
email: muhamedswaleh@gmail.com
Thanks Nick, I just notice that with how you write Africa~ it seems like you are in love with this country, that's only my conclusion. I hope Africa can develop more.
ReplyDeleteMy blog : coffre de rangement