- All have been duly acknowledged and welcomed. All protocols observed.
Good evening, it is a great privilege for me to join you as we come together to engage in meaningful discussions amongst equals. Historically, platforms such as this one have been instrumental in fostering collaboration through the sharing of ideas. Today, we uphold this historical tradition by embracing open dialogues, diverse viewpoints, and the collective power of thought to drive innovation and inspire action.
The modern world is experiencing an unprecedented pace of change, requiring nations, institutions, and entities to cultivate the resilience and adaptability necessary to navigate a highly intricate landscape of challenges and opportunities.
This extends to the geopolitical arena, where navigating jurisdictional disputes over access to data and the regulation of intellectual property has become as complex as the management of the global security order.
These jurisdictions hinder many people in developing regions, especially the youth, while governments and corporations are confronted with the complex task of balancing privacy, sovereignty, and cross-border regulations.
To learn the lessons of history, is to interpret the relationship between the past, present and future, and to pry behind historical accounts, the human condition and social organisation.
By utilizing history and culture as teachers, we are invited to explore our own reflections on life, history, and what lies ahead. It is important to remember that youth are the future, tomorrow belongs to them.
Investing in them today by nurturing their intellectual and emotional growth, equips them to navigate the complexities of the world.
As we examine these complexities, both globally and locally, it is clear that profound shifts present themselves in the form of megatrends that have the potential to reshape the economic, political, and social outlook of nations for decades to come.
Megatrends, such as demographic change, urbanisation, technological disruption, climate change, and shifting geopolitical power structures, have far-reaching implications for mother Africa and her people. The African continent stands at an intersection of these trends, with unique opportunities and challenges that demand urgent and thoughtful responses.
Understanding these megatrends and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise is vital for South Africa to take advantage of the trends and achieve economic growth, stability, and sustainability.
Projections of demographic megatrends indicate that:
- Africa’s population could reach nearly 2.5 billion by the year 2050.
- Africa has a youth bulge with more than 60% of its population under the age of 25.
- By 2035, the share of the working-age population in Africa is expected to be larger than that in China and India.[1]
- The continent has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world and SMEs contribute significantly to employment, accounting for 80% of jobs.[2]
However, gender inequality continues to pose a critical challenge, particularly within the education system. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 9.5 million girls are at risk of never enrolling in school, exacerbating existing educational inequities.
These kinds of statistics, megatrends, and predictions play a fundamental role in shaping economic modelling, which is essential for effective governance and planning. The ability to leverage data and forecast future scenarios is necessary for reforming outdated systems and enhancing governance capacity. Thus, enabling leaders to tailor their approaches to specific scenario.
When policymakers can accurately predict the impact of various interventions, they are better equipped to allocate resources efficiently.
South Africa’s grapple with domestic challenges is not unique; it reflects the broader geopolitical and economic trends impacting the entire continent. When governments fail to deliver basic services, they weaken the social contract between the state and its people, eroding confidence in public institutions.
In South Africa, such a breakdown has manifested in, amongst others, a growing sense of disillusionment among the youth, who feel alienated from the systems that are supposed to serve them.
And perhaps one of the most troubling issues facing the country and its youth, is the mismatch between the current education system and the skills needed for the evolving demands of a global labour market.
However, this trend also presents a unique leapfrogging opportunity for African nations. Leapfrogging allows developing countries to bypass outdated stages of industrial development, adopting modern technologies more directly. This approach saves time and resources, enabling a quicker transition to a digital future.
This leapfrogging moment enables African nations to meet global demand for skilled labour by implementing new industrial models. As a result, African nations can cultivate competitive, future-ready workforces unhindered by the limitations of older economic systems.
In essence, Africa’s status as a latecomer can be advantageous, allowing it to swiftly transition into modern, sustainable ecosystems and achieve faster integration.
To gain from this demographic dividend, Africa must invest heavily in education, connectivity, and infrastructure development. The ability to innovate, adapt, and solve complex problems through digital literacy means investing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is a critical pillar of our participation in the evolving global economy.
However, as technology advances, its purpose is to free humans from the drudgery of manual labour, offering more leisure time. The challenge for the future lies in how we fill that time—through art, culture, and creativity, we can cultivate a more enriching and wholesome life. Art, alongside STEM, therefore, becomes vital, as it nurtures the imagination and creativity and ensures that technological progress enhances the human experience, not just efficiency.
Connectivity and infrastructure development thus requires deliberate intra-trade within the continent, and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement is a legislative framework to facilitate and maximise this potential of trade relations and development.
Peace and stability are a precondition for development and progress. But without stability, investment in industry is severely hampered, stunting growth and perpetuating cycles of poverty and insecurity.
Trade and development are not merely byproducts of peace, they are also powerful tools for creating it.
Yet, despite its potential, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement is but only one building block to address Africa’s most pressing challenges of peace, stability and economic growth.
Africa must position herself as a proactive player in shaping global policies, leveraging its own vast resources, youthful population, and alliances to drive sustainable development, and secure a more equitable role within the international community.
This raises a pivotal question for the continent and the world: how will Africa secure a seat at the head table where the evolving global security order is to be reimagined?
An answer lies in understanding how global governance is structured. The architecture of the United Nations (UN) reflects the balance of power established at the end of the Second World War, and this itself has over time laid bare its own weaknesses. In the words of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations:
“The United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell.”
However, the inability of the UN, particularly the Security Council, to broker peace is weakened by the conflicting interests of its permanent members— the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. This dynamic complicates Africa’s position within the global order, as demonstrated by the Council’s paralysis during moments of international conflicts.
Africa lacks a direct voice in the most powerful decision-making body when it comes to global peace and security because the continent does not have permanent representation on the UN Security Council. Its absence is particularly striking given the disproportionate amount of the Security Council’s attention placed on conflicts in Africa.
The current UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, addressed the need for reform in the UN Security Council, and said:
“We cannot accept that the world’s preeminent peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent of well over a billion people – a young and rapidly-growing population – making up 28% of the membership of the United Nations. Nor can we accept that Africa’s views are undervalued on questions of peace and security, both on the continent and around the world.” [3]
This paradox is glaring and stresses the critical flaws in the global system of governance that often neglects or sidelines African interests.
In conclusion, over the years, the ideas, perspectives, and solutions shared here at the Drakensberg Inclusive Growth Forum have shed light on the key forces driving change and progress. The Forum has created a safe space that encourages open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas, and should also serve as a platform to emphasise the importance of turning thought into action. Importantly, the past has not exhausted our duty or obligation to the future.
I leave it to the highly capable presenters in the programme to deliver their thought-provoking insights, so that we may engage in meaningful dialogue and be inspired to take action.
We must ourselves bridge the gaps between history and future responsibility, and envision a world where reason, truth, and action lead to ever-widening possibilities.
I take this moment to express heartfelt gratitude to my wife, Gugu, for her tireless work as the Executive Trustee and her dedication in guiding and executing both the Forum and the Foundation’s programmes, we are all deeply appreciative. I thank you.
[1] https://www.statista.com/topics/7928/demographics-of-africa/#statisticChapter
[2] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/africa-youth-global-growth-digital-economy/
