Africa is not a country
I worked in Investment Banking in the city of London for many years and I often heard people say "I went to Africa on holiday". Perplexed by the statement I often stared in the direction of the comment in total amazement.
Then came one day. I went out for drinks with some friends in Canary Wharf and we were having a great time when suddenly, a close friend said she had been to Africa. Instinctively I looked at her and asked "where in Africa did you go to?" She said the Gambia. I laughed hysterically. Bemused, she poked me persistently wanting to know why I was laughing. And that attracted more interest.
When I was done laughing, I told her that Africa is a continent with vast natural resources and a rich history. And known to be the cradle of civilization. The Gambia is a tiny country in West Africa with a population less than 2 million and engulfed by Senegal. Its a tiny country that is smaller than London in terms of its geographical area. Relative to Africa, it's less than a dot on paper. I concluded by saying "you can't claim to have been to Africa. Saying that is rather belittling and I often find it amusing. Now and again I find it annoying when people say that." Its like you can't say you've been to Europe when you travel to Luxembourg; or any other country or that matter. Or can you? Everyone agreed with me. Most agreed they've made the same mistake.
Many
non-Africans think Africa is one tiny place or country somewhere on the other
(dark) side of the world. Therefore, they tend to say things like “I went to
Africa”.
Some facts about Africa
1. Africa has a land area of over 30 million sq. km. To put that into perspective, you can fit the USA, Argentina, India, Western Europe, and china into Africa; and still have more room left for Eastern Europe and Japan.
So you
see, you really must stop saying you went to Africa. It is disparaging. You
only went to a place in Africa.
2. Most of Africa’s land area is arable and
exceptionally good for human habitation because of the excellent weather Africa
offers. Therefore, Africa can easily feed the world with the right investments
in the right places.
3. Africa is endowed with vast quantities of natural resources.
One of such is coltan. Coltan is used to produce electronic gadgets (mobile
phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) and the world’s electronic industry depends on
it. Some suggest that about 95% of the world’s deposit of coltan is
located in eastern Congo. Wikipedia offers some very interesting facts.
4. There are 54 member countries of the African Union, all of them richly endowed with assorted natural resources. A quick Google search will tell you that there are 3,000 tribes in Africa and they share over 2,000 languages.
5. Nigeria is the largest country in Africa and the
largest black nation on earth. It is also the largest economy on the continent
with a huge population projected by the United Nations to hit 207 million by end of 2020 and 399
million by the end of 2050. This offers an insightful glimpse into the
developing opportunities in Africa available to bold and measured investors.
6. Africa is vibrant; full of life, colours and multiple interrelated cultures with a population estimated to be well over 1.2 billion people spread across several nuanced ethnic groups, tribes and languages with distinct cultures.
7. Africa’s countries offer lands full of bountiful real opportunities and lifestyles. Africa is indeed the “Best Kept Secret” still waiting to be discovered. Africa offers truly unlimited business prospects.
8. Africa tends to get a lot of negative publicity.
Some have suggested it is a conspiracy of the west. HetoGrow believes Africa
needs to stand up and #SpeakOutForAfrica
in #PassionToLightUpAfrica
and #InspireAChange.
9. Africa undoubtedly has a certain unlimited, inexhaustible and
easily accessible natural resource. It is called the sun. Solar energy is
becoming increasingly affordable with a vast array of products that can
instantly expedite developmental efforts. With decrepit energy
infrastructure strewn across the continent, Africa continues to struggle with
huge maintenance costs whilst faced with the challenges of building new ones.
It is perhaps time to begin to consider a drastic but pragmatic strategic proclivity
towards doing things differently. HetoGrow is currently tinkering with the idea of wireless transmission of electricity. The rapid proliferation of
numerous off-grid solar based products for various purposes, coupled with
rapid technological advancements, lends to this thought.
One such product is solar charger power bank. The growing
popularity of this product is unsurprising given the explosion of the internet
and mobile technology across Africa. Nigeria alone has over 222 million
connected mobile phone lines that are hungry for power.
Solar
technology can propel development in Africa given the right investments. I
imagine vast swathes of Africa plastered with various solar panels transforming
the power of the sun into other forms of energy that will in turn transform the
lives of the peoples of Africa.
Africans
must positively and determinedly discuss Africa, tell their own stories and
#InspireAChange that will engage the realism to the question, #WhatIsAfricasFuture?
I invite you to join the campaign and #SpeakOutForAfrica.
Africa
is truly an amazing place. Stop taking it for granted. If you have not "been", I invite you to travel Africa.
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