What is going to Africa seem like by 2050? Will the current story of missed alternatives persist? Or will the continent grow to be a superpower securing a pole place within the new race to achieve new frontiers of know-how and of our creativeness? Will, it, as an example, grow to be a number one space-faring continent?
Right this moment’s forecasts paint a dire image of the continent’s future. Battle. Poverty. Unemployment. The plagues of yesterday creep into tomorrow. On the face of it, there seems to be little cause to count on a miracle – a sudden awakening that might herald the speedy transformation that Singapore and South Korea, as an example, have gone by means of up to now six many years.
But this pessimistic narrative has apparent penalties. It scares traders. It demotivates African expatriates who would possibly in any other case have thought-about returning dwelling. Most critically, it robs African youth of an opportunity to dream of a greater life proper right here on the continent. All of this perpetuates a vicious cycle the place a presumption of future failures denies Africa the alternatives and assets it wants to actually ship on the potential of its 1.2 billion individuals – in flip reinforcing prejudices in regards to the continent.
In my new e-book, From Africa to Mars, I counter this damaging narrative. From Africa to Mars tells the story of a technologically superior African continent that takes on a seemingly unattainable problem: flying to Mars inside a decade. Nevertheless, myriad challenges come up inflicting the world to marvel: “Will they make it on time?”
I despatched an early model of the manuscript to a buddy primarily based in the UK. When he learn by means of it, he famous that it felt considerably utopic. I requested him whether or not Iron Man or Surprise Girl felt utopic too. He mentioned no. “It’s Westerners. Flying automobiles. Lasers. Interstellar journey. They can do all that,” he mentioned, pausing and cocking his head earlier than including, “Would you ever get on a rocket constructed by an African?”
He most likely meant it as a joke however his question confirmed simply how a lot the most cancers of stereotypes has metastasised. We dwell in a world the place tales of African genius will not be simply lacking, they’re discouraged and subconsciously banned.
A couple of years in the past, I used to be engaged on a communications marketing campaign in Burkina Faso. Our objective? To encourage youth within the capital, Ouagadougou, to coach for STEM careers. I crafted a sequence of illustrated posters on the outcomes of science and engineering research. In a single poster, a baby began as an electrician and ended up as an area engineer. After I shared the poster with colleagues, one despatched a reply that left me totally shocked.
She remarked that it was unattainable for a kid in Burkina Faso to grow to be an area engineer. I knowledgeable her that the West African nation was already constructing its first satellite tv for pc, Burkina Sat-1. Therefore, there was no cause why a Burkinabe little one couldn’t be part of the nation’s nascent area programme.
Certainly, Africa’s area sector is reaching new heights. In January 2022, South Africa made historical past by launching three nanosatellites that had been the primary to be wholly designed and produced on the African continent. Cocoa farmers in Ghana will quickly be capable of obtain agricultural recommendation due to the SAT4Farming initiative, a programme that leverages satellite tv for pc imagery to watch environmental situations within the nation. Angola’s second telecommunications satellite tv for pc, Angosat-2, launched final week.
In different areas of tech too, African innovators are displaying why it will be a mistake to disregard them. M-PESA, the pioneering cellular cash fee service, was launched by Kenyan firm SAFARICOM in 2007 and has since grow to be a mannequin for cellular banking providers globally. Whereas there have been no unicorns on the continent a decade in the past, Africa now boasts seven startups valued at over $1bn. Greater than 600 tech hubs throughout the continent help startups and in 2021 alone, African startups attracted greater than $10bn in funding.
Africa urgently wants nuanced future narratives that, with out masking the challenges that the continent faces, deviate from the usual scripts of refugees on boats and rebels in bushes.
This isn’t only a requirement for attracting vacationers and traders. I imagine this shall be essential to encourage the following technology of engineers, scientists, statisticians, astronauts and science fanatics who will assist resolve Africa’s most urgent developmental challenges – and assist the continent’s potential take off.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
Will Africa ship the primary human to Mars?
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