Africa vision: a 100 year plan!

ANALYSIS, Africa — Africa is in many ways the forgotten continent. Years of war ad strife, more years of resource infighting and worse corruption.

African Ideas from the Leaders

I have been following Africa, and some of the emerging ideas. From prominent voices, these have included a few notable voices.

Kenyan Economist, James Shikwati, calls for end to aid to Africa. This radical suggestion, Shikwati said in De Spiegel, would enable as an example:

“the Kenyans, for a change, would be forced to initiate trade relations with Uganda or Tanzania, and buy their food there. This type of trade is vital for Africa. It would force us to improve our own infrastructure, while making national borders — drawn by the Europeans by the way — more permeable. It would also force us to establish laws favoring market economy.”

More esoterically, talk at places like Davos continues. Bill Gates, who has the power to do more than talk, is trying to lead us forward for “creative capitalism”.

There are quite a few African business magazines, online journals and recently an Africa business summit. Ted’s Africa Summit got shelved.

But in Africa, it’s more basic than big ideas. What Africa needs are practical plans.

Joel’s Personal Africa

More personally recently, in Europe, I talked briefly to a Nigerian man on the plane, and asked him what the problems with Nigeria and Africa were. I have had similar conversations many times, but this struck me.

Joel was western-university educated, and living overseas.

Joel said, in short the only problem was too many years of corrupt Governments. Joel said the problem was not resources but Government.

Joel said Africa had plenty of resources.

I often find reading 100 pages analysis can be summarized into a single sentence by an educated local, like this man on my flight from Barcelona. In the world of Africa, what can be said in 100 or 1000 pages is probably less useful than 1 page.

There are enough 1000 pages analysis and Africa has problems.

A Practical Start… African Expats…

In the end it is up to the African American diaspora, those living and working in rich Western countries, long with Western leaders to bring the will to build Africa into a great continent in economic and quality of life.

This will be a tumultuous 21st century of food shortages, with rampaging food supply, water interruptions, global warming and unforeseen complications of increasingly genetically-modified food hits world food markets.

Africa, will suffer more than the West, unless something is done, and a vision formed.

In the end, we need a 100 year plan for Africa.

That’s not to say there are not some positives already occurring.

African Practical Positives

Property rights are improving in many nations. Something, Hernando De Soto, in his world-leading book The Mystery of Capital identifies as needed.

One of by far the simplest and most life changing programs has been the micro-credit program allowing small impossibly cheap infrastructure, and localized entrepreneurship.

A great another project is a simple refrigeration device mad of pottery and earth, allowing increased food preservation. A basic taken for granted in the West, but that allows the freeing of Western labor from food production.

Simple inventions are underestimated in the history of the West. An interesting perspective on world history can be found in Jared Diamond’s Gun Germs and Steel, or as TV program on PBS.

The internet, as it evolves, also has the potential to revolutionize African media, through the creation of non language-centred visual development tools and web based software. In addition the internet reinforces increased literacy.

African Americans like Oprah Winfrey have done much localized good, and in the end the lives of Africa’s youth are highly local.

Local, practical, day-to-day initiatives matter more than all the resolutions and documents that never get enacted. More than European policy documents.

The African Diaspora is the Key

But practically those of African descent have a global obligation to take the ideas they learnt in western universities, corporations and workplaces and apply them to Africa.

It is up to Africans who have gone abroad, worked abroad and studied abroad to come home, and to form plans for Africa from the ground up.

To lead as Africans, for Africa.

James Shikwati’s calls for an end to, or at least a reduction of aid are based on the basic premise is that aid is used to buy cheap goods that flood the market at zero or limited cost, making impossible the setup of local markets.

And Africa needs local infrastructure, local trade and local markets. Local labor.

But for now, much of Africa depends on food aid and is a destination for weapons and dumping of goods.

The answer is complex, and linked into world economics.

But in the end, Africa, needs a 100 year plan, for that is how long it may take to raise the African continent to the level of the first world.

But 100 years, and those of African birth worldwide must have the ideas, and hopefully the motivation to make 2100 onwards the African century.

Africa, must grow from within. Thank you, Joel.