Africa, the second largest continent after Asia covering one fifth of the earths total surface, is a continent that has been combatted with endless years of poverty and inhabitable living conditions. While the economic growth for Africa has has seen progress over the years, the number of individuals living in poverty continues to increase. 2015 marks the 20th year since Africa started on a path of faster economic growth. “During that period, growth has averaged 5.2 percent per year. Meanwhile, the number of people on the continent reportedly living under $1.25 a day has continued to creep upwards from 358 million in 1996 to 415 million in 2011—the most recent year for which official estimates exist” (Chandy, 2016).
The cause of these divergent trends can be identified as an issue with the uneven monetary distribution. In most countries within Africa, the distribution seems to only be beneficial for those amongst the wealthiest of the continent, the top one percent, leaving others counting to fight to stay above the poverty line. Another factor could be related to the countries rapid population growth. “While African economies are generating more income, that income has to be shared among an ever-increasing number of people.” In addition, the depth of Africa’s poverty cannot compare to poverty levels of other countries around the world, ultimately setting their poverty level even further back” (Chandy, 2016).
A question I ask myself is, “how can Africa catch up with the world in the fight against poverty?” There is an ongoing discussion on the effectiveness of foreign aid in helping the economic development of Africa. While countries around the globe are being offered aid as well, globalization does not appear to be evolving Africa’s development in an equal distribution. The problem here can certainly be viewed as a leadership issue. “Incompetence in leadership in most African countries is not only the problem of people who occupy positions in government; it is a reflection of the leadership culture.” (Bloomberg) Africa has had different leaders with the same results for many decades. The control that exists between leaders in the government and citizens is also reflected in organizations and families. “In this type of structure, leaders don’t serve; they are being served” (Bloomberg). The issue this creates is that authority driven positions make leaders superior and unaccountable to the people they lead. What Africa does need are replenished leadership development systems. There is a need to democratize the leadership development process in the developing world of Africa.
Due to Africa’s extensive youth population, it can be trusted that change is possible for greater opportunities to influence a new generation of leaders. “For global leaders to be effective in their trade and development efforts within Africa, they must be realistic in their analysis of its peoples and possibilities” (Moran, 2014). With increased encouragement and access to education and technology, there may be hope for a more forward thinking and all encompassing thought process behind the leadership that drives the economy equally to better standings. The question then becomes, will the economy be able to withstand the wait time until these leaders are able to step forward? This may be a question only time can answer.
References:
Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-04-24/africa-s-only- way-out-of-poverty-is-to-industrialize.
Chandy, Laurence. “Number of Poor People in Africa Increasing When Africa’s Economies Are Growing?” Brookings, Brookings, 29 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/blog/ africa-in-focus/2015/05/04/why-is-the-number-of-poor-people-in-africa-increasing-when- africas-economies-are-growing/.
Moran, R.T., Abramson, N. R. & Moran, S.V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. (9th ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
cew5377 says
I thought you did an amazing job with your title and topic line. Growing up I have always been focused or knowledgeable on how Africa was at the forefront of charitable need and help. As the years go on the need for charitable help has not decreased. The charitable donations have come to help many people but the lack of lasting impact has led many nations throughout in continued disarray. Your post led me to parallel comparisons between giving a man fish and teaching a man how to fish. With your statement of Africa being the second largest continent on the world still behind in many key societal aspects brought my attention span up. I agree with your stance on how many leaders throughout African nations don’t take necessary steps to improve the poverty line or truly serve the people that they are intended to. The rich continues to be in great position to remain rich while you alluded to the small rate of growth that the average persons net worth has gained over time.
I believe the points you brought up about the youthful population as well as integrating democracies were superb in giving your article depth. These points allow for possible improvement in these categories in coming years. The aid of technology, trade, and education growing will only continue to send Africa in the right direction. I enjoyed reading this post and thought it did a great job tying together class topics to real world applications.
Yanin Cancio says
I could not agree more that Africa demands great, determined leaders to create an impact on the people of Africa. The country itself has considerable untapped potential. Riddled with difficulties in all areas: political, economic, social, environmental, and so on, it will take robust, forward-thinking leaders to influence what may seem unchangeable. I do believe the continent will see advancement if all of the countries bind together for the common goal behind leaders willing to take on the challenge.
cxp57 says
You mention an interesting point about how aid dollars are being appropriated. In order to fully address this, we must consider the paramount growth in the population of Africa. How will the rising generation of youth lead Africa in each of our tomorrows.
The United Nations Population Division has projected that the African population will double by 2050, and then again by 2100 (Ezeh, 2018). So how will the new generation of leaders ensure that African’s can maintain their health, have access to a good education, and be provided opportunity to apply their skills? Below are two important human rights topics that youth leadership will need to address to help transform Africa’s development:
1 – Family planning: empowering women and couples to determine how many children they will have, when and with whom (aka “wanted fertility”)
2 – Education: a direct link between empowerment and population is the transformative impact of secondary education for girls. Educated girls tend to work more, earn more, seek improvement, and marry later, have fewer children and invest more in their child(ren).
In addition to the human right’s movement, youth need to step up to the challenge of leading. With seventy percent of the population under the age of 30, the age range of current African leaders are between 55 and 75 year old (Signe, 2019). After all, it is the youth with the greatest at stake to gain or lose. Some of the most pressing issues they must address include:
1 – Poverty levels
2 – High rates of unemployment
3 – A strengthened governmental system; cooperation of governments throughout the continent
The youth of today and tomorrow must make a continuous effort to increase the human rights, address poverty, unemployment and a lack of a central or cooperative governmental system in African. By slowing the population growth rate, a rising generation of youth stand to build accountability for a more successful economic transformation, governmental representation and improved public service.
Reference:
Ezeh, A. (2018, September 23). We need to talk frankly about our rapid population growth in Africa if we want to beat poverty. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/03/27/africa-youth-leadership-building-local-leaders-to-solve-global-challenges/
Signe, L. (2019, March 19). Africa youth leadership: Building local leaders to solve global challenges. [Blog site]. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/03/27/africa-youth-leadership-building-local-leaders-to-solve-global-challenges/