Online Reporter
Gibson Nyikadzino in UPPSALA, Sweden
WESTERN imperialism and neo-colonialism, though unwanted in Africa, are both survived and prolonging their stay in the continent using the age-old strategy of “divide and conquer”.
Despite having managed to live peacefully and with relative stability for centuries, the current instabilities witnessed in Africa are not designed by Africans, but are a result of external elements that advocate for war.
What appears to be forgotten is that there is no country that can overcome the power of a united Africa.
Statistics and examples are there to prove.
Africa’s combined population is 1,5 billion, the same size as China and India. Because India and China have remained united, they manage to deal with problems they encounter as centrally united and administered nations. With China, imperial efforts to weaken it have been initiated through supporting separatism in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet and the Uighurs. In the case of India, before the creation of Pakistan and later Bangladesh, without imperial “divide and conquer” strategy, the country could have been more powerful than what it is today.
The big difference is that the imperial powers divided Africa into 55 little countries, to ensure that no country can thrive on its own. A united Africa can challenge for a position of dominance in the world. As 55 separate countries the continent will not make it. There is need for a unification agenda of the whole continent. There is need to continue pushing for one African continental economy
Africa currently has a demographic advantage. The continent’s population is continuously rising and the youngest ever in the world. Other continents are said to be “dying” because of an aging population. Africa is the only place only place in the world with rapid population growth.
It is projected that by 2050, the continent’s population will be 2,5 billion. This is a lot considering that Africa will be adding a billion people in just 25 years. Going a further step by extrapolating the current trends in population growth, according to the United Nations, it is expected that the continent will have about 3,5 billion people by the end of the 21st century. It means Africa will go from being nine percent of the world population to contributing more than 30 percent of the world population.
An Africa that is united politically, economically and militarily is set to change the future of the world, creating a whole shift of relations. The Africa-first or Africa-wide mentality should start to be cultivated and enhanced by a mass system of education that should solve the current community problems. The key to massive economic development is education. For Africa, the example or model of central administration and unity has already been set by China and India, it would be important to reframe that model and implement it in Africa’s context.
Rising with focus, determination
Since 2000, much has been said about “Africa rising”. That prompted positive energy in a continent that for long had been characterised as a place of war, poverty and negativity. However, while some of those elements linger, they can only be defeated by having meaning development which drives economic change. One major aspect that needs investment in Africa is power or electricity. The continent will not taste meaningful development without electricity.
There is a general acknowledgement that Africa’s major challenge is not resources or talent, but short-term planning, lack of adherence to systems, and overreliance on foreign investors or help. Yet, the continent should be able to adopt data-driven policies to implement a results-focused approach to benefit citizens.
There are also some challenging and bitter realities that Africa should also consider to scale its fight to the top. For example, despite having a population of roughly 68 million, France produces four times as much power than all 47 sub-Saharan African nations combined for their 805 million inhabitants.
In other words, that means today a French person consumes 50 times more electricity than an African.
Electricity is a major cog for Africa to join the world and becoming a partner in global trade. Internally, other adjustments also need to be made to avoid looking outside for economic rescue which is unsustainable in itself. While there is need for African countries to balance their interests, there is also need to look at fulfilling trade commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Realigning intra-continental trade tariffs is key. For example, moving a tonne of fertiliser from a United States port to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, which is a 9 000km journey, costs US$40.
However, moving the same tonne of fertiliser from Mombasa to Kampala, in Uganda, which is 1 000km away, costs US$120. This translates to costing 30 times more to move cargo across African borders than it costs to move cargo to African ports. It becomes difficult for this to constitute “Africa rising”.
To address these anomalies there is need to look inwards and stop being dependent on the outside world. More of what Africa gets comes as aid, yet, over 70 years after independence, Africa should also be in a position to give other nations aid.
After the Second World War, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore were all recipients of aid. They however all graduated from being aid recipients within 20 years, and then started giving aid to other people.
It is not a sign of strength for Africa, 70 years later, to be negotiating for aid on a global stage, there is also need to graduate. That is possible through the use of whatis in the continent’s interests and advantages it gets.
Hope for all
However, it shall come a time when a united Africa will make the world tremble. There are indications that Africa’s enormous power, if positively harnessed for the sake of the citizens, the continent will maintain its dominance and be respected as an equal partner on the global stage.
This is possible when the continent dumps the divisive Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone and Arabophone tags and labels that have kept the bonds of African unity apart. Continuously referring to colonial and imperial labels will entrench the “divide and conquer” strategy.
