Africa’s Progress Under Threat

Jobs, justice and equity

For Africa’s current superb growth curve to continue and move on to the next logical level, it is essential for the continent’s planners to address themselves to the trio of jobs, justice and equity.

Jobs are essential because they play a fundamental role in people’s life chances. They also provide social identity, a sense of worth, place value on abilities, set out targets and goals, integrate individuals into teams, provide a sense of progress and generate a feeling of self-worth. They also give individuals a stake in society and the economic system and thus make them guardians of their nations.

They reinforce the belief that hard work, study, talent and application will yield just rewards. Jobs, and the output of those jobs, is what changes societies. After all, what is a nation but a collection of individuals striving for the same destination? A nation only becomes wealthier if each member of that nation becomes wealthier, better educated, better fed, healthier and happier. Jobs are also essential if Africa is to continue diversifying its economy away from total reliance on resource exports. Already three quarters of Africa’s growth comes from sectors other than commodity exports. Manufacturing, services, distribution, processing all require labour. There is an acute shortage of skilled labour as it is and it is severally hampering faster development. Singapore has become one of the wealthiest and most advanced economies in the world purely on the quality and capacity of its human resource. Investment in jobs is sound investment in the future for all – the worker, the entrepreneur, the governments.

There is considerable talk of Africa’s demographic dividend compared to other regions. Over the next two decades, more than half of the continent’s population will be in the economically active age band. This can be a huge advantage when the global average is declining but unless there are jobs for this generation, demographics can rebound and create large pools of restless and impatient youth with nothing to do. Justice, as the report makes clear, is absent from the lives of too many Africans. They are often preyed on and the law is used, when it is used, against them even if they are the innocent party. Worse, a narrow elite can often get away, literally, with murder and mayhem. No one should be above the law.

Access to the trappings of law is often denied to large segments of the population. Confusing land laws means that ruthless elites can often help themselves to valuable tracts of real estate at the expense of the real owners. Lack of access to legal structures means that exploitation is often rife. Legitimate protests are often illegally crushed by compromised legal officers. A feeling of injustice erodes confidence in the social structures and creates ‘them and us’ polarities. If the law is unjust, people will ignore it and take the law into their own hands. That is a sure recipe for chaos.

Finally, no society can hold together unless there is a feeling of equality. People have different talents and different capacities – some will be successful, others will not achieve the same levels of success in various fields. Most people are ready to accept this fact of life but only as long as they believe that there is equality of opportunity. This can only be ensured if the basics of life including health and education are available to all. Talent and meritocracy must be guiding principles of income and position. If the perception is that some have easier access to jobs and other prospects because of their family, tribal or political connections, then social conflict is inevitable.

While there should be no barriers to the accumulation of wealth by individuals as long as this is arrived at by legal and competitive routes, income must be more fairly distributed. This prevents large pools of wealth gathering in small areas where it is often frittered away on expensive imports or ostentatious life- styles. The more widely income is distributed, the more growth it generates and raises the general standards of living. The alternative is gated compounds patrolled by armed guards while all around are seas of poverty. Crime, often violent crime, is inevitable and if the plight of those outside the magic circle become intolerable, revolutions become inevitable.

The latest Africa Progress Panel Report is a timely warning that Africa is on the cusp. Excellent governance and economic management, a dynamic private sector and favourable external circumstances have placed Africa in a superb position. The momentum can and should catapult the continent into a period of sustained growth that can outstrip the performance of the Asian Tigers. But this will only happen if the danger signals are not ignored. This calls for a new approach by the continent’s leaders. Will the right men and women step up to take the reins? We can only hope so, but going by the leadership cadre that has emerged over the recent past, perhaps we have nothing to fear.