A new era of African leadership

A new era of African leadership

Recent optimism at the World Economic Forum’s gathering in Davos, Switzerland, is a boon for Africa.  

In December, South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency, the first time in the intergovernmental forum’s history that it will be hosted on the African continent.

In a special address at Davos, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa shared his vision for his country’s and the continent’s leadership over the coming year, highlighting the unique role they might play in reigniting global cooperation after years of deepening divides.

“As we confront the challenges of the 21st century — from climate change to pandemics, to addressing the challenges of poverty to terrorism, from migration to artificial intelligence – we are again called upon to harness that most powerful, and most enduring, of human attributes: mutually beneficial cooperation and collaboration,” he told participants at the meeting.

Africa steps up to the plate

Already, on many of these challenges, Africa has been stepping up to the plate. For example, in a week that saw some countries backtrack on their climate commitments, African countries have been doubling down on theirs.

Take the announcement of the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor. This historic initiative will see an area covering 540,000 km² — the size of France — become protected through partnerships with communities that integrate conservation and restoration with green economic development.

The initiative was spearheaded by the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo was in Davos to present his hopes for what could be achieved — from both an environmental and a societal perspective.

“This project aims to protect some of the most intact tropical forests on the planet, while preserving extraordinary biodiversity, including some iconic species…that are unique to the Congo Basin,” he said.

“But this initiative goes far beyond simple environmental preservation…It will create over 500,000 jobs, including at least 20,000 specifically for young men and women who’ve been demobilized from armed groups.”

Other initiatives announced in Davos hold great hope for the future. For example, Angola, Gabon, Senegal and Kenya joined the Global Plastic Action Partnership, a global effort now made up of 25 countries to address plastic pollution through systemic waste solutions and a circular economy.

Boosting private investment

In Pretoria, South Africa, a new centre for the energy transition was announced, part of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution initiative.

And the Forum, in partnership with the Global Center on Adaptation, is creating a new platform to boost private investment in climate adaptation in Africa. While a formal launch won’t take place until spring, the CRDB Bank Group has already committed $1 billion.

Aside from climate change, Africa has been showing leadership in other areas, too. For example, at a time when some of the most basic democratic norms are being increasingly challenged, countries on the continent have been leading by example, as Duma Gideon Boko, the recently elected President of Botswana told participants.

“When power changes, it occasions a great deal of consternation, a great deal of anxiety. We are never sure whether it will happen at all…and whether those who are in power are fully committed to the fundamental tenets of democracy,” he explained.

“In Botswana, a party that had been in power for 58 years faced the unexpected spectacle of a decisive loss at the polls, and many questioned whether the outcome would be accepted, whether power would really change hands. Well, in Botswana it did — it was peaceful; it was seamless.”

What’s clear, then, is that increasingly, the future of Africa is no longer being shaped by forces outside the continent: it is coming from inside. “We are the ones charged with the responsibility to develop, and we are responsible to our people,” explained Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman at Cassava Technologies. “Africans must develop Africa; it’s our continent.”

This original article was written and first published by the World Economic Forum (https://www.weforum.org/) and the above is an extract from the original article.

A new era of African leadership