COVID-19 to bring forth a self-reliant and agile Africa

Africa is the undisputed hub of natural resources in the world but it has remained the poorest, most helped continent with its member states chasing first world countries with a cup in hand.

Today, as the world battles COVID-19 with the each for himself, God for all mentality, it has dawned on African leaders, politicians, scientists, technologists, in fact, everyone on the continent to look within for solutions.

The new Africa that will emerge in the post-COVID-19 era must be one that is ready to take the tough road towards real self-reliance to shape the fortunes of today’s generation and posterity.

READ: Coronavirus, the biggest threat to our survival and world business

Africa’s so-called development partners and first world countries have looked fragile in the face of COVID-19 and have shown that every nation on the continent is as fragile as the African continent itself.

Africa must look within and tap into its ability, pull resources, ideas and efforts together to gel into a powerful economic force that calls the shots. It is time to leverage already existing technology, re-engineer our self-belief, build and competencies and capabilities that will propel the content towards transformation.

The belief that Africa is rising must change, we have been rising for too long, when will we rise fully and rub shoulders with the west and serve as the benchmark for the next 100 years?

READ: Testing COVID-19 vaccines, Africa isn’t a testing lab – Didier Drogba

The time is now. The World Bank predicted in 2018 that 6 out of the 10 fastest-growing economies will be from Africa. We are yet to realize that potential. Agriculture, industrialization, science and technology and education must evolve at the speed of light to reshape the world’s perspective towards African and change the African story.

This is the time for leadership to mobilize technical infrastructure and skills as well as make huge financial investments across sectors because Africa cannot rely on its donor partners any longer. Africa cannot continue to play second fiddle.

He who begs is always poor and a slave to the giver. This is the time for Africa to drum home and act in its own interest to become self-reliant, each country and the continent. A.F. Ewing in his write up Self-Reliance in Africa argued that foreign aid is becoming low while the terms they come with are becoming challenging. This is going to be worse for African countries in the post COVID-19 world.

African countries that cannot invent themselves from within in the post-COVID-19 era will definitely not survive. A.F. Ewing

Foreign aid is at best not increasing and the terms on which it is offered are hardening.

As we work hard to win the COVID-19 battle, African states must begin to look within and rise above the third-world mentality. Leadership will be key to realizing this struggle.

The president of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo’s call has indicated that he seeks to build Ghana beyond aid, Rwanda is emerging as the African country to watch out for in terms of transformative governance.

The long talk must cease for real action speaks louder than words.

Source: Wisdom Hammond, College President, Pinnacle College-Ghana Wisdom Hammond is a Lecturer, Entrepreneur, Author, Public Speaker, Leadership Coach, Digital marketer, and a Human Rights Activist – Project Director for Ghana- Humanrights Reporters Ghana (NGO)

First Posted on www.keager.com/

Email: wisdomkehammond@gmail.com

Reference:

Ewing, A. F. (1968). Self-reliance in Africa. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 6(3), 361-372.
posted by Chic By Dr.Ayesha Mughees