Diplomatic World_69

THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
IN THE 21 ST CENTURY
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim
Former President of the Republic of Mauritius
The African continent is 30 million square km large, representing
20 percent of the Earth’s surface, and much of it is covered by
forests or underlain by vast million reserves. She is home to
1.3 billion people, 17 percent of the global population, and her
population is projected to reach 2.53 billion by 2050.
Yet the continent produces only 3 percent of global GDP,
accounts for less than 3 percent of global trade (most of which
is dominated by primary commodities and natural resources),
shoulders 25 percent of the global disease burden, and accounts
for only 2 percent of world research output, 1.3 percent of research
spending, and 0.1 percent of patents.
How can a continent with the largest share of the world’s remaining
arable land (60 percent); a continent with the youngest
population a continent that has fuelled all of the world’s industrial
revolutions; a continent that has helped drive the mobile phone
industry; a continent that is at the cusp of supporting the world’s
energy transition to greener technologies with her large store of
rare earth mineral deposits accept such dismal statistics?
a development objective that has eluded Africa for decades - in
the AfCFTA era hinges on Africa closing its scientific and technological
gap with the rest of the world and sustainably producing
the right set of skills to address supply-side constraints and
ultimately expand both extra- and intra-African trade and sustain
higher rates of growth to accelerate the process of global income
convergence.
There’s a proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was
20 years ago. The second-best time is now”. We can bring many
seedlings and shovels … and plant many trees that will flower
together, nurtured by the best scientific knowledge available and
the talents of Africans.
It can be done. As responsible stewards of our beloved continent
it must be done so that the benefits of science, technology and
innovation are marshalled for greater economic, social and environmental
sustainability both on the continent and beyond.
Our challenges are fundamental and structural. A deficit of
investment in science and technology and a lack of economic
and scientific infrastructure for innovation have undermined the
process of economic transformation both at the structural level -
the shift of workers and resources from low to higher productivity
sectors – and at the sectoral level—the growth of productivity
within sectors.
This is where investment in the human capital; empowerment
and inclusion of women; the nurturing of fledging entrepreneur;
promotion of innovative practices; reinforcing intra African trade
and manufacturing will make a big difference.
The recent ratification of the African Continental Free Trade
Agreement (AfCFTA), has huge potential as it de-fragments
Africa to establish the largest single market in the world by
membership and create the conditions for scale, also removes
one of the most important obstacles on the path of economic
transformation.
But meeting the challenge of economic transformation -
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Former President of the Republic of Mauritius and
Barbara Dietrich, Diplomatic World
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