This report is from Mrs Maureen Hickman, President of the Royal Commonwealth Society (ACT Branch) who took over from Colin Milner (History, RSSS ANU) earlier this year. Maureen is also the Editor of the RCS Newsletter from which this piece is reproduced.
“By 2050, Africa will have 2.4 billion people, a middle class of one billion, and every fourth person on earthwill be in Africa, figures that might ‘excite or frighten—
but cannot be ignored’, according to H.E. Isayia Kabira,
High Commissioner for Kenya. Speaking at the Commonwealth Dinner in March, Mr
Kabira added, ‘if you are thinking about the future, you should be thinking about Africa.’
‘Our challenges today are the opportunities of tomorrow.’
Describing Africa as ‘the continent of the future’
whatever you read or hear about it, Mr Kabira said
That many people have asked him where he gets ‘all
this optimism about the Dark Continent’. But what he
sees is opportunity to find alternate ways to deal with
problems such as providing clean renewable energy
where there is no electricity, and, at a
local level, where there are no credit
cards, teaching people how to use their
mobile phones to transfer money.
Having achieved ‘the political kingdom’
of freedom, with the majority of African
nations under democratic rule ‘with a
smooth handover of power and a zero
tolerance of military coups’ what Africa
is now seeking is ‘the economic kingdom’.
He continued,
‘Africa today is home to 30 per cent of
the world’s natural resources; Australia
has invested over $40 billion in 700 projects
in the extractives sector, and, to
further consolidate our economic gains,
the African Continental Free Trade
Agreement is now in its operational
phase, making it much easier to trade
with ourselves and with the world.’
Mr Kabira acknowledged that in 30 years time, a
population of 2.4 billion people would need to be fed.
But this, he sees as yet another opportunity to satisfy
that need and ‘get more money into the pockets of
farmers’, encouraged by the Kiswahili saying: Mfuata
nyuki hakosi asali—one who follows the bees will
never fail to get honey (never mind the occasional
sting).”