“Our children may learn about the heroes of the past. Our task is to make ourselves the architects of the future.” – Jomo Kenyatta
The making of a world power
Africa has all the trappings of a world power. It is perfectly suited for positive and economic dominance. Having dwelt long behind the curtains of forced mediocrity and oppression, it is beginning to see its true worth. If the current boom in entrepreneurial expedition, and the rising tides in global advancement are any indication of how far she will go, there’s no stopping her.
Population.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) projects that while every other continent is seeing a slower rise in births, or even a decline, 40% of the world population will be African by the end of the century. That’s about a quadruple. Nigeria is projected to be the third largest population in 2050, after India and China.
While this can be a challenge without proper check, threatening overpopulation, it can be an indication of a larger pool of talents, a greater symbol of stability, and a more competitive economy – given proper management.
Geography.
Geographically, Africa hasn’t always been dealt with fairly. In the common maps we all grew up knowing and studying, Africa is portrayed in the same size equivalent as Greenland, when in fact it is about 14 times larger! With a geographical area of about 30,221,000 sq. km, Africa is bigger than China, India, the US, Japan, and most of Europe altogether. It is the 2nd largest continent.
Maps are reproductions of political analysis. With current discoveries and enlightenment, ‘…many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ Daniel 12.4
Resources and Investments.
As the world mops up what’s left of the economic minerals in Asia, it looks longingly at the vastly untapped region that is Africa. As China and India fully mature and maximize what potential they hold, the billionaires start to refocus. Apparently, these ones are not the future.
Africa has an exploding population, predominantly constituting over 40% youths. As technology continues to disrupt every sector, competition gets stiffer, and everyday ushers in wave upon wave of new ideas. Tech giants can find no better place than the African continent to extend their tentacles.
There’s a scramble as investors trip over themselves to dig their fangs deep into the continent’s fertile soil. AB Kinnevik, an investment and equity-based company headquartered in Europe, in 2014, invested $25 million in Konga, a leading e-commerce platform in Nigeria. In 2015, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), founded by Facebook founder (Mark) and his wife (Chan) invested $10 million in Bridge International Academies, a private education franchise in East Africa. In 2016, CZI also invested $24 million in Andela, a Lagos-based tech startup that trains African engineers and programmers, then outsources them to companies in the US, Europe, and other parts of the world. IBM launched its “Digital – Nation Africa” in 2017, and invested $70 million to bring digital skills to Africa with free, Watson-powered skills platform.
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To deepen this huge potential that Africa holds, it has an incredible advantage of relatively cheap labor – uneducated or educated.
Other fun facts.
Africa’s reserves of natural gas and oil, constituting about 10% of world’s reserves are still largely untapped. It has yet to even scratch the surface of its hydroelectric power potential. Despite being home to around 65% of the world’s arable, cultivable land, only 10% is being cultivated.
Conclusion.
As the whole world refocuses on the African continent as the renewed face of human hope, we can expect to see plenty more influx of resources and opportunities. Population boom, economic escapades and limitless resources are sure to take the stage.
Here’s prophecy you can bank on – Africa is no longer content with the waiting-room and has begun to frequent the room of global domination.
Things are certainly looking up, as she goes on to take her rightful place at the world’s stage.
As UNICEF reports, ‘the future of humanity is increasingly African.’
Gbolahan Olayemi
In 2016, I caught the Legal Tech Innovation bug, and I've not remained the same since. When I'm not pursuing dreams, I'm writing, researching, making music, or designing brands.