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Africa rising is a reality

For decades, Africa has been viewed as the weak kid on the block, the pariah, the land of the pitiful, the poor, the hopeless...at least in the eyes of the world thanks to international media. This image is so deeply ingrained in the general mindset that we are at times rendered blind to the beautiful, blossoming adolescent that is Africa. So after some months of little blogging activity, plenty of encounters with people who know too little about my continent, and a myriad of awkward questions, I decided to do a piece on the Africa that many are yet to become accustomed to. 

World, let me introduce you to the 21st Century Africa.
*Note: Highlighted texts are hyperlinks to more information.


The Second largest continent, the fastest growing economies

This may seem like an obvious statement to most of you, but you would be surprised at how many people are actually ignorant of the fact that Africa is a continent and not a country. For the sake of those who do not know this, Africa is not only a continent but also the second largest continent in the world. The continent boasts of 54 sovereign states that are easily identified by their five regions. These regions are Northern Africa, Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa (Please note that this is different from the country called South Africa). 
A good starting point for one who wishes to make a visit to the continent would be to ask yourself questions like "Which region do I want to go to?", "What is the name of the country I wish to visit?", "What are the fun facts about this country". Thanks to the miracle that is Google, this information should is often readily available online. The internet, of course, is full of facts and almost-facts so it is upon one's discretion to look out for objective information that gives  a more accurate picture.

According to UN DESA (Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations), World Urbanization Prospects (2014) report, Africa and Asia are currently the world`s fastest urbanizing continents. Africa and Asia are urbanizing more rapidly than other regions of the world with Kenya, South Africa and Ghana currently taking the lead in establishing  Smart Cities in Africa. 

In addition, Africa currently boasts of the youngest population globally with most countries having approximately 60% of their population being youthful. This trend is projected to continue. A youthful population is a major plus for the continent as there is a ready labour force to advance the continent. If Africa is able to take advantage of its vast resources, and provide adequate education and jobs, $500bn a year could be added to its economies for the next 30 years states Joe Myers, a contributor to the World Economic Forum. In simple terms, African countries are well positioned in time to experience major economic growth over the next decades. The continent is already fast transforming into a global player in the economic sphere and is definitely a space to watch. 

Credits: United Nations. Read more at www.weforum.org

Did you know that Africa has a high proportion of university degree graduates? Did you also know that a large proportion of these brains are actually distributed all over the world?According to the 2008–2012 American Community Survey (ACS), 1.6 million immigrants from Africa resided in the US alone. Compared with the overall foreign born population, the foreign born from Africa had higher levels of educational attainment than any other foreign born group. Forty-one percent of the African born population had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2008–2012, compared with 28 percent of the overall foreign born. So what is delaying Africa?

The political situation in Africa is still a far cry from what it should be. With a lack of visionary, selfless leaders...the continent is left in a general state of delayed development. Every election year leaves Africans disillusioned as selfish leaders work through the system to take care of their own individualistic needs at the expense of the needs of citizens. The current breed of African political leaders is the biggest thorn in Africa`s heel. With Africa's dirty laundry constantly being aired on international media, it is not a wonder that the overarching stereotype is that all of Africa looks pretty much like this:

Poverty in Africa, Credits: Internet sources
While it is true that Africa has large informal settlements and rural areas, it is important to highlight the changes that have since taken place on the continent. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so feast your eyes upon these images from some of today's cities in Africa.

Accra, Ghana

Nairobi, Kenya
Lagos, Nigeria

Kinshasa, DR Congo

Burao, Somaliland


Development and good governance cannot be separated. The day that Africa will get its governance act together will mark the tipping point for its exponential growth.

What do you know about Africa?

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