Unlock Africa’s potential with nuanced investments: Navigate its 54 diverse economies, embrace complexity, and discover overlooked opportunities for sustainable growth and impact-driven returns.
Thank you for writing this piece. It is fantastic that a Free Trade Agreement is in the works. Africa can use today’s technology to leapfrog other geograpgic markets who had to develop with legacy technology. BRIX has bookended the continent with Egypt at the top and South Africa at the bottom. Let’s fill it in!
But seriously, 54 countries, plus tribal identies, create a complex web of collaboration. There is a lot of reconciliation that has to occur.
My humble suggestion is that the extractive industries, of which there are many, pay a significant percentage fee into a pan-African fund that either a) builds infrastructure, or b) provides a dividend to the African citizens (preferred). Extractive industries that refuse can be nationalized and reformed. This model works in Alaska. Most extractive minerals are non-renewable; there is no reason that the extractions can’t benefit the people.
Can Africa be a ‘people over profit’ success story?
Can the scenario of ‘a thousand politics a minute’ be accomodated?
Can a pan-African government be utilized so that there is one voice…so that disparities that lead to civil wars can be addressed? There are muliti-generational impacts that have to be recognized and perhaps could incorporate restitution. They must somehow tame the Ghost and the Darkness.
I think that Africa can be this century’s greatest success story :-)
I have serious doubts about AU if you are considering that structure to oversee any pan African fund. While I agree that much of the wealth from extractive industries is best shared with the people, simply gathering up payments & distributing them ignores the thesis of this article. Namely, that a nuanced approach to communities & areas is needed. Thus, each area, each nation, each community has its resources. Each group of people are best at deciding what can be extracted, at what level & recompense & how the wealth is best used in the community.
Thank you Berta for your thoughts. I assume that AU stands for African Union. I share my thoughts knowing full well that although I have stood on the African continent, I am not from there. I am not African. It is up to the people of the continent to find their way forward. I find myself very interested in how they evolve, and only wish to help. It isn’t just the people and their nuanced identities, it is also the different colonial overlays that still echo. For instance, would there be one language?
I understand that the article discussed / recommended a nuanced approach, yet there are pan-African issues that they share with the world.
For example, AI and robotics have the possibility to decimate the job base globally. One way to address this is via DCTs (digital commodity tokens). Each citizen has a fair share of DCTs that they can trade for living expenses. Commodity-based currencies will probably come about under Basel IV / Basel V. The nuances are that each nation has their own types of commodities with their relative values. The more demand for the commodity, the higher the potential price. But it is a way to share the benefits to the citizens instead of all the profits flowing to international corporations. Handing people money can be subject to corruption; I am thinking about digital solutions.
I agree with you that the best approach is to let the citizens decide what is needed. Then they can contribute tokens to that project.
Can investor's use their capital to honestly contribute to greater prosperity for all? Can investor consciousness grow to use wealth not only to create more wealth but to have that wealth be enjoyed by the greater community? Looking to invest with an eye to improve living standards is the kind I'd like to see, not just in Africa, but around the world. No one says investors shouldn't earn a profit, but many are asking how much is legitimately "yours" & how much belongs to those who made it all happen.
Thank you for writing this piece. It is fantastic that a Free Trade Agreement is in the works. Africa can use today’s technology to leapfrog other geograpgic markets who had to develop with legacy technology. BRIX has bookended the continent with Egypt at the top and South Africa at the bottom. Let’s fill it in!
But seriously, 54 countries, plus tribal identies, create a complex web of collaboration. There is a lot of reconciliation that has to occur.
My humble suggestion is that the extractive industries, of which there are many, pay a significant percentage fee into a pan-African fund that either a) builds infrastructure, or b) provides a dividend to the African citizens (preferred). Extractive industries that refuse can be nationalized and reformed. This model works in Alaska. Most extractive minerals are non-renewable; there is no reason that the extractions can’t benefit the people.
Can Africa be a ‘people over profit’ success story?
Can the scenario of ‘a thousand politics a minute’ be accomodated?
Can a pan-African government be utilized so that there is one voice…so that disparities that lead to civil wars can be addressed? There are muliti-generational impacts that have to be recognized and perhaps could incorporate restitution. They must somehow tame the Ghost and the Darkness.
I think that Africa can be this century’s greatest success story :-)
I have serious doubts about AU if you are considering that structure to oversee any pan African fund. While I agree that much of the wealth from extractive industries is best shared with the people, simply gathering up payments & distributing them ignores the thesis of this article. Namely, that a nuanced approach to communities & areas is needed. Thus, each area, each nation, each community has its resources. Each group of people are best at deciding what can be extracted, at what level & recompense & how the wealth is best used in the community.
Thank you Berta for your thoughts. I assume that AU stands for African Union. I share my thoughts knowing full well that although I have stood on the African continent, I am not from there. I am not African. It is up to the people of the continent to find their way forward. I find myself very interested in how they evolve, and only wish to help. It isn’t just the people and their nuanced identities, it is also the different colonial overlays that still echo. For instance, would there be one language?
I understand that the article discussed / recommended a nuanced approach, yet there are pan-African issues that they share with the world.
For example, AI and robotics have the possibility to decimate the job base globally. One way to address this is via DCTs (digital commodity tokens). Each citizen has a fair share of DCTs that they can trade for living expenses. Commodity-based currencies will probably come about under Basel IV / Basel V. The nuances are that each nation has their own types of commodities with their relative values. The more demand for the commodity, the higher the potential price. But it is a way to share the benefits to the citizens instead of all the profits flowing to international corporations. Handing people money can be subject to corruption; I am thinking about digital solutions.
I agree with you that the best approach is to let the citizens decide what is needed. Then they can contribute tokens to that project.
Thank you for your thoughts Berta.
Can investor's use their capital to honestly contribute to greater prosperity for all? Can investor consciousness grow to use wealth not only to create more wealth but to have that wealth be enjoyed by the greater community? Looking to invest with an eye to improve living standards is the kind I'd like to see, not just in Africa, but around the world. No one says investors shouldn't earn a profit, but many are asking how much is legitimately "yours" & how much belongs to those who made it all happen.