From Conflict to Growth: Africa’s Quest for Stability and Prosperity

Africa has long been plagued with issues and uncertainty. The continent from which humankind evolved, is home to some of the least developed countries in the world. Even though countries such as Ethiopia have been inhabited for all of human history, they struggle with major internal conflicts and a lack of investment. In modern times, Africa experiences an overwhelmingly uneducated, inexperienced, agricultural workforce. Its governments, leaning closer to authoritarianism, have restricted growth and caused an economic upheaval. Its population, growing rapidly, cannot support itself financially. Its nations, plagued with conflicts and coups, have battered any prospects for growth. This has been caused by the continent's volatile history, but its future, if managed properly, can lead to the continent being the epicentre of development and growth.

The Africa we see now is an amalgamation of influence from various cultures and peoples. The Romans have left their architecture in the north of the continent, Christians have spread their religion in areas such as Ethiopia. Islamic traders and conquerors from the Middle-East have spread their culture through the north and west of the landmass. 

The most visible and recent cultural influence on the continent has been the impact of the Europeans after their scramble for Africa in the late 19th and early 20th century. This colonisation of the continent has led to many of the continent's woes, but has also defined its future. Like all colonised regions, the Europeans exploited Africa. Whether it was diamonds from the Congo or ivory from Côte D’Ivoire, they plundered the continent. However, they also made significant investments into their colonies. They built roads and railways, developed capitals and revolutionised healthcare. These benefits, though minor compared to the pillaging and enslavement of its people, have been major contributors to the growth of the continent.

Africa’s growth has been remarkable, considering the hostile business environment and the prevalence of conflicts and coups in many of its countries. The African economy is predicted to grow by around 4% in 2024, according to data provided by the African Development Bank. This growth has mainly been fueled by rising commodity prices, such as oil, natural gas and gold. Rising foreign direct investment has also led to an increase in economic growth. These factors, along with large agricultural production, are unsustainable in the long run and often involve foreign players who may use their investments as leverage over African countries. The continent has many issues to deal with before it can actually progress and reach the growth rates which countries like China have been able to achieve in the past. 

Source:African Development Bank

Africa’s hindrances stem from a very deep rooted issue, which will require years of investment across the continent to solve. It is experiencing a dramatic lack of labour force efficiency. Its workers tend to be uneducated and therefore inefficient. Poor government investment is partly to blame, but cultural attitudes towards education in Africa also play a significant role. Many believe that women should not get educated and that boys should spend time working on farms and helping the household instead of studying. This creates a situation where both men and women  are poorly equipped to work in more productive manufacturing and service sector jobs. All in all, there is no way for Africa to develop without this culture changing and becoming more open. The responsibility lies with governments, religious leaders, and local authorities. They have to come together and advertise the benefits of education, while also investing in it at all levels. There must be a concerted effort for this rigid system to change.

As Africa is developing, authoritarianism is spreading its arms around the continent. Many governments have either been toppled by coups, or have strayed to a more authoritarian stance. This is especially evident in Western Africa, where there have been 10 coup attempts in the past four years, many of which have been successful. Governments which were democratically elected have also drifted to a more autocratic administration. These governments tend to shy away from globalisation and stick to Russia and China as international partners. This leads to  greater global polarisation and can cause African nations to fall into messy debt traps and get involved in external conflicts. A prime example is that of Paul Kagame’s regime in Rwanda. The democratically elected President has turned into an autocrat who seeks to influence everything in the country. He has turned Rwanda into a state modelled after him, and one which cannot survive without him, while also closely aligning with Russia. The only way for Africans to really take back control and establish their own voices in the government is for them to protest against current governments. No leader will relinquish power willingly; therefore, it must be taken from them. This, done through non-violent means, can lead to genuine progress and prevent countries from falling to oppressive regimes.

The rise of authoritarianism has also affected Africa’s economic potential. While already hindered by poor labour force productivity, the continent faces other economic issues. Its economies are underdeveloped and require investment from both government and international actors. Most African countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as the Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have many natural resources and populations large enough to make use of these resources, however, they face issues concerning corruption, which is increasing. It was estimated by Transparency International that 1 in 5 Africans in the countries studied have been affected by bribery. At the same time, the little production which occurs in Africa is focused on the primary sector and exploits its natural resources. This dependence on the primary sector to drive the economy is misguided, due to the low efficiency of most primary sector production, the low returns received from them and price volatility of most primary sector products leads to low levels of development in the economy. The infrastructure needed to transport goods and develop the economy is also lacking. There are nary any paved roads, water and power infrastructure is lacking. Education and healthcare are nonexistent in some areas. To address these issues, governments must increase their investments in the economy. Short-term economic stability can be sacrificed for long-term gains. International organisations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and world bank must increase donations to African countries, while putting stringent rules on the spending of these funds to ensure a limit on corruption. 

The future of the continent is in peril for another reason; conflict. Conflicts are on the rise across the continent, ranging from internal strife in countries like Ethiopia to battles against terrorism in the Sahel region against various Islamist organisations8. These conflicts destabilise the region and make economic development more difficult. They prevent the growth of infrastructure, and lead to the destruction of the limited economically developed areas in the continent. At the same time, wars cause the deaths of many, all of whom could have contributed to the economy of their respective countries. Infighting can also cause distrust between different ethnic groups in some countries, leading to them not wanting to work together for a greater benefit. Spending on the military causes the government to not have enough space in their budgets for economic development. The fight against extremism in Africa exemplifies this issue. Countries such as Nigeria have spent millions of dollars in trying to combat extremist groups such as Boko Haram. If helped by international players such as the African Union and United Nations, it could have afforded to spend much of that on redeveloping Lagos, its largest city.

Africa has much to address, and its development could significantly shift global dynamics. However, to achieve this, the entire continent must work together, to eliminate extremism and authoritarianism, while increasing government spending, building infrastructure and developing essential industries. If this is achieved and maintained, nothing will be able to stop the growth of the continent's economies. How long this will take and whether it will be achieved depends on the willingness of governments to benefit their citizens and work for the common good, as they are meant to do.