Africa is often overlooked because of its history as a war-torn region. The continent has seen its many countries engaging in conflict in recent history as corrupt leadership attempts to forcefully gain from the abundance of resources. What many people do not realize is that Africa is a continent with an immensely rich history that stems back to the beginning of humanity. Although conflicts have raged there recently, Africa is developing and beginning to take the shape of its more western neighbors.
“THERE is no shortage of economic growth in Africa. Six of the world’s ten fastest growing economies of the past decade are in sub-Saharan Africa” (Lusaka). By gaining access to the vast resources the continent has to offer, Africa has begun a process of development. It has taken a focus on several important things. These include, but are not limited too, Tourism, Agriculture, Industrial Development, and Human Rights.
The tourism industry is one that can make a lot of money for the area being visited. The growth rate of tourism in Africa is in fact that fastest in the entire world. As countries begin to make strides in developing tourist attractions they are working to make Africa the newest place for tourists. To fully understand the growth, we can consider that “Tourist arrivals in Africa grew 8.8 per cent in 2009-2010, the highest rate for any region” (Renewal). This number is only growing as the country develops further.
Another primary focus of African development is in agriculture. The industry is a very dependent one in Africa. An enormous number of people are employed in the industry (Roughly 60%), and are focusing on only increasing its productivity. African leaders have promised, through the “New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) – to allocate at least 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture” (Renewal). With this promise and help from other developed nations, Africa will begin to see a rise in productivity in an industry that supplies its food.
Similarly to the Agriculture industry, Africa has begun to take control over its industrial development. Manufacturing, mining, construction, and a number of other industrial sectors in Africa are weak. They were losing employment between 2000 and 2008, and have only recently begun to make improvements due to the adoption of the “Accelerated Industrial Development of Africa”. By growing the industrial sector of Africa the economy will thus grow as well, paving the way for the country to focus on what is probably its most necessary development, water. For an idea of how water runs through Africa, take a look at the figure below.
Taken from http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/africa.shtml
Africa is quite aware of the issue at hand, and has created a plan to overcome the lack of safe drinking water. With the Water Project and a number of UN plans for creating safe drinking water (these can be seen using the link under the photo), Africa is determined to make drinking water safe and available.
The final and arguably most important development which we will discuss that Africa is making, lies within human rights. Africa has been a continent that has seen its civilians living in poverty for many years. Economic growth has been creating new privatized businesses, with little increase in jobs. To account for this, African countries have looked to groups like the UN and Arterial Network to creatively bring in new organizations that can drive citizens out of poverty.
A large number of western groups and organizations have invested in helping Africa grow economically, politically, and socially. The country, with its rich history and culture, believes that it can begin to thrive with the right leadership. These western groups hope to be able to defend human rights, to end conflict, and to create an Africa that is truly sustainable.
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