Hey! I found this interesting article that dates back to April, 2014 and feel it is worth sharing. Read Mo Ibrahim on Afro realism and the development potentials Africa can develop to make it great! The Sudanese mobile communications tycoon says “now is the time for Afro-realism: for sound policies based on honest data, aimed at delivering results”.
Mo Ibrahim: Now is the time for Afro-realism – First Published on April 11, 2014 on edition.cnn.com — Updated 1039 GMT (1839 HKT)
Editor’s note: Sudanese-born Mo Ibrahim is founder and chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation which he established in 2006 to support good governance and exceptional leadership on the African continent. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely his.
Over the last 20 years, the narrative on the African continent has shifted from Afro-pessimism to Afro-optimism. The truth lies somewhere in between. Now is the time for Afro-realism: for sound policies based on honest data, aimed at delivering results.
The potential of our continent is huge. Compared to developed countries, or even to some major emerging countries, burdened by aging populations, financial crises, widening budget deficits, faltering faith in politics and growing social demands, Africa has become the world’s last “New Frontier”, a kind of “it-continent”.
By the end of this century, half of the world’s young people will be African. Twenty years from now, by 2035, Africa’s working age population will exceed that of China or India. Youth is our major resource. But our continent also harbors most of the world’s proven mineral reserves: 95% of platinum, over 75% of phosphate, 60% of diamonds, nearly half of cobalt and chromium, more than a quarter of bauxite.
Diamonds aside, 90% of this huge potential remains untapped. In a world of growing food demand, Africa is home to two-thirds of the world’s unexploited arable land. Its solar, water, wind and nuclear energy potential are considerable.In a world of growing food demand, Africa is home to two-thirds of the world’s unexploited arable land. Its solar, water, wind and nuclear energy potential are considerable.Already, over the last 10 years, Africa’s overall GDP growth has reached an annual average of 5.4%; more than four times the European Union average. In 2012, 16 African countries experienced GDP growth in excess of 5%. The latest iteration of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance shows that 94% of the population of the continent is now living in a country where the overall level of governance has improved since 2000. All of this is promising — but we are still a long way from realizing our potential.
Let us first stop talking about “Africa” as a homogeneous and uniform whole. We are a mosaic of 54 countries, each with its own flag, its own borders, and its own embassies. The African Union, whose 50th anniversary we have just celebrated, is still a long way from European-style Union, with its common market, single currency, supra-national political bodies and common and shared budget. And the road to convergence between the 54 countries is a long one. Read More…….bodies and common and shared budget. And the road to convergence between the 54 countries is a long one. Read More…….
