Business Times Africa Magazine 2017 /vol 9/ No2 BT2Edition2017_web | Page 20

OPINION
Africa's economic transformation to
create a third centre of global power
By Brett Parker
I believe that Africa will emerge to be the third centre of global power,
settled in between the worlds of the East and West. The world needs
Africa. It needs its resources, its people, its skills and its insights and
Africa is rising to meet those expectations
What a difference a century makes.
If we stepped back in time to a hun-
dred years ago we'd find a primitive
China; a Middle East that had yet to
discover the riches of oil and most of
Southeast Asia consisted of cou ntries
that were barely distinguishable from
medieval societies. It was an entirely
different world.
Roll back two hundred years and
many European nations would be far
removed from the modern countries
they are today. It is an enduring myth
that fools us to believe everything has
always been like it is today; that the
societies at the top of the pile have
always been there. Technological and
social revolutions have molded the
modern world and opportunity is out
there for the taking.
When asked why I am so optimis-
tic about Africa my answer is simple:
look at how far we have come and
look at how fast we are moving for-
ward.
By 2050, it is estimated that Africa
will boast a $29trn economy. It will
have the largest youth labour market
in the world and if guided and edu-
cated correctly, the same youth will
be the workforce of that world.
Even today, the future is starting
to glow in Africa. Many projects and
18 Business Times Africa | 2017