Preparing for Africa's growing global role

Leading a dynamic panel at Davos 2022, Nzinga Qunta of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, asked participants how they see Africa's role on the global stage evolving in the 21st century.

With a strong focus on both the opportunities presented by the continent's young population - and the threats posed by not harnessing the youth's potential - Qunta engaged panellists to explore what lies ahead for the continent.

Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire, insightfully laid out how efficiently employing human capital is a key building block in the development of a country: “If you analyze how certain countries, like Singapore, have leapfrogged developmentally in recent decades, you will come to the conclusion that the core strength is human capital. If you can educate your people and foster a culture of leadership, you will be able to accomplish great things. We have to properly educate our youth and prepare them for professional life.”

Agreeing with Achi, Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO of internet giant Naspers South Africa, emphasized the role of the private sector in ensuring the development of human capital on the continent:

“One of Africa’s main geographical dividends is its youth. If we can leverage this globally, we can benefit many countries. As a technological business, we’ve been very focused on empowering young people. We are empowering young people with digital skills to realize their potential.”

A key point of discussion was Africa's vulnerability to climate change. The panel agreed that Africa's developmental progress can be severely impeded by intense weather changes and natural disasters. Ambrosie Orjiako, Chairman of Seplat Energy Plc noted that: “Africa only contributes roughly 3% of all carbon emissions, but is severely affected by it. In the upstream energy market, we are deploying carbon capture technologies and have removed flaring. Africa must align to global priorities in fighting climate change, and, in its efforts, we see plentiful room for private and public partners to work together on finding solutions.”

The panellists were optimistic about the future of the continent, despite the challenges it faces. All agreed that true economic development can be realized through an empowered youth, built on entrepreneurship.

With Mahanyele-Dabengwa highlighting that: "Through a spirit of entrepreneurship, we’ll see our economies grow. Technology is offering entrepreneurs access to much larger markets and so, we are at a point where we can really unlock the continent's immense potential."