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What’s going to Africa appear like by 2050? Will the current story of missed alternatives persist? Or will the continent change into a superpower securing a pole place within the new race to achieve new frontiers of know-how and of our creativeness? Will, it, as an example, change into a number one space-faring continent?
At present’s forecasts paint a dire image of the continent’s future. Battle. Poverty. Unemployment. The plagues of yesterday creep into tomorrow. On the face of it, there seems to be little purpose to anticipate a miracle – a sudden awakening that would herald the speedy transformation that Singapore and South Korea, as an example, have gone by prior to now six many years.
But this pessimistic narrative has apparent penalties. It scares traders. It demotivates African expatriates who would possibly in any other case have thought of returning residence. Most critically, it robs African youth of an opportunity to dream of a greater life proper right here on the continent. All of this perpetuates a vicious cycle the place a presumption of future failures denies Africa the alternatives and assets it wants to actually ship on the potential of its 1.2 billion folks – in flip reinforcing prejudices concerning the continent.
In my new ebook, From Africa to Mars, I counter this unfavorable narrative. From Africa to Mars tells the story of a technologically superior African continent that takes on a seemingly not possible problem: flying to Mars inside a decade. Nonetheless, myriad challenges come up inflicting the world to marvel: “Will they make it on time?”
I despatched an early model of the manuscript to a buddy primarily based in the UK. When he learn by it, he famous that it felt considerably utopic. I requested him whether or not Iron Man or Marvel Girl felt utopic too. He stated no. “It’s Westerners. Flying automobiles. Lasers. Interstellar journey. They can do all that,” he stated, pausing and cocking his head earlier than including, “Would you ever get on a rocket constructed by an African?”
He most likely meant it as a joke however his question confirmed simply how a lot the most cancers of stereotypes has metastasised. We reside in a world the place tales of African genius should not simply lacking, they’re discouraged and subconsciously banned.
A couple of years in the past, I used to be engaged on a communications marketing campaign in Burkina Faso. Our aim? To encourage youth within the capital, Ouagadougou, to coach for STEM careers. I crafted a sequence of illustrated posters on the outcomes of science and engineering research. In a single poster, a toddler began as an electrician and ended up as an area engineer. Once I shared the poster with colleagues, one despatched a reply that left me totally shocked.
She remarked that it was not possible for a kid in Burkina Faso to change into an area engineer. I knowledgeable her that the West African nation was already constructing its first satellite tv for pc, Burkina Sat-1. Therefore, there was no purpose why a Burkinabe little one couldn’t be a part of the nation’s nascent area programme.
Certainly, Africa’s area sector is reaching new heights. In January 2022, South Africa made historical past by launching three nanosatellites that have been the primary to be wholly designed and produced on the African continent. Cocoa farmers in Ghana will quickly be capable to obtain agricultural recommendation due to the SAT4Farming initiative, a programme that leverages satellite tv for pc imagery to observe environmental circumstances within the nation. Angola’s second telecommunications satellite tv for pc, Angosat-2, launched final week.
In different areas of tech too, African innovators are exhibiting why it could be a mistake to disregard them. M-PESA, the pioneering cell cash cost service, was launched by Kenyan firm SAFARICOM in 2007 and has since change into a mannequin for cell banking providers globally. Whereas there have been no unicorns on the continent a decade in the past, Africa now boasts seven startups valued at over $1bn. Greater than 600 tech hubs throughout the continent assist startups and in 2021 alone, African startups attracted greater than $10bn in funding.
Africa urgently wants nuanced future narratives that, with out masking the challenges that the continent faces, deviate from the usual scripts of refugees on boats and rebels in bushes.
This isn’t only a requirement for attracting vacationers and traders. I consider this will likely be vital to encourage the following era of engineers, scientists, statisticians, astronauts and science lovers who will assist resolve Africa’s most urgent developmental challenges – and assist the continent’s potential take off.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
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