A thousand global leaders met in Durban for WEF on Africa
Here’s what happened at last week’s meeting of minds on the continent’s future
AThe values of leadership and inclusive growth in Africa were writ large in a meeting that brought together over 1 000 leaders from more than 100 countries. Here are some of the highlights from this year’s World Economic Forum in Durban.
President Zuma calls for economic equality
“As leaders, we have not addressed adequately how we are going to close the gap between rich and poor in the world and achieve meaningful, inclusive growth,” President Jacob Zuma told participants in Durban.
The president also said that more needed to be done globally to combat economic crimes such as moneylaundering and profit-shifting.
A three-point plan to end famine
Winnie Byanyima, executive-director of Oxfam International and cochair of the meeting, outlined the essential steps to avoid needless deaths from famine, as the continent faces concurrent crises in northeast Nigeria, South Sudan and Somalia.
First, governments have to put pressure on fighting groups and bring them to the table for peace. Second, fighting parties have to respect the rules of war and allow humanitarian workers to help people. And third, the international community must stop selling arms to conflict zones, and ensure that the aid it promises is actually delivered.
In the same session, Dyborn Charlie Chibonga, chief executive of the National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi, said small farmers hold the key to more resilient agriculture. “The future belongs to the organised,” he said. “We need to organise and scale up the ideas that are working on the African continent. That means scaling up smallholder farms as businesses.”
Addressing the problems of apartheid
Recently appointed finance minister, Malusi Gigaba, outlined what he meant by a “radical transformation” of Africa’s biggest economy.
“We have not paid enough attention to developing a productive economy in the township and rural areas,” he said. “The special problems of the apartheid system have not been addressed sufficiently.” In this context, he said, “You must understand the impatience for speedy change, for significant change.”
Africa’s most competitive economies
Africa is brimming with brilliant, educated young people. In fact, with the number of workingage people expected to grow to 450-million over the next two decades, Africa’s engines of job creation are struggling to keep up. The result could be a worsening crisis of youth unemployment.
According to the Africa Competitiveness Report 2017, published at the forum, Africa needs to push forward structural reforms that boost productivity and create more opportunities. Some countries are already doing that better than others.
Does Africa have a ‘leadership vacuum?
Lindiwe Mazibuko, a South African politician and a former leader of the opposition, thinks it does. In a session called “leading in an era of disruption”, she called for a new generation of leaders to do a better job of addressing the continent’s challenges.
“Africa has a leadership vacuum … the current crop of Africa’s leaders have failed to deliver, yet we’re asking what these same leaders can do to make it better.
“We need a different line of understanding of what leadership in an African society is, beyond politics and business, into the non-profit, into civil society, into churches, schools, communities. We need to redefine leadership.”
Byanyima also drew attention to growing inequality, and lambasted unfairness. “Those who pick up the tab of climate change are those who didn’t cause it,” she said.
Forest Whitaker on saving lives in South Sudan
“Youth are the nation. They will build it and rebuild it,” the actor and Unesco special envoy told the audience, where he was speaking on the plight of South Sudan, a war-torn nation where the majority of people are under the age of 30. “There is a passion and an energy that young people have that makes them a catalyst for change.”
The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative trains young men and women to break the cycles of violence and poverty, and oversee educational projects in their communities.