Publisher's Synopsis
'Africa, the new frontier', has become the sing song. With a burgeoning population in the under 30 bracket, Africa indeed has the potential for the fastest and greatest economic growth in the world in the mid 2100s or the greatest socio economic disaster the world has ever witnessed. That is the stark reality before us. A lot has been said by governments and other opinion leaders about engaging the youth to seize the future. Some suggest that they seize right away, the clear demographic advantage for political leadership. Yes, they have the smarts, this after all is the social media generation with access to the millions by the push of a button. The premise for this assumption of course is that the generations before have failed to address the Africa challenge because they were 'corrupt'. Therein lies the danger; that the youth are immune to the corrupting systems in Africa, or that political leadership alone is the problem. We assert that the failure of leadership in Africa is across board. There are outstanding Africans in every sphere of human endeavor and that fact alone gives the lie to any implied inferiority. But who can deny our deprivations as a people. Wherever you look, the picture is grim, whether on the continent or anywhere else on the face of the earth. What could be the matter? Edwards Deming, the Father of the Quality movement gives us a piercing insight: when too many people are making the same mistakes, the problem is 94% more likely to be with the system. That is so true in Africa where the power gap is so wide and people are so tolerant of leadership excesses; again across board. In reality, we have seen the young, the educated and the urbane technocrat floored again and again by the system. So the solution is not in a mere change of guard but a system change. Africa has not changed much because we have not properly identified the system problem.God calls the system problem, 'wrong belief'; the outcome of a history of subjugation, exploitation and overwhelming poverty. Wherever you turn, the story is the same; indecency and disorder in our communities! God has given us a clear 3 step instruction to changing the Africa narrative:1. Correct the belief system2. Strengthen one another with the correct belief system and 3. 'Make the money work' for one and allThe most critical step of course is the change in belief system. A materialistic world view that glorifies self over and above all self can only breed hedonism. When we do not know who we are but trust rather in what we are, it becomes easy to steal the common wealth and still be celebrated; because every body else is the same really at heart. To transform Africa, we need to transform our belief system first, and then we can go ahead and build the Africa of our dreams. We do not need more aid, rather we need to see people for who they are; children of God. Black lives may matter little to some but sadly less to us too. Our communities tell the whole story. Black on Black violence is higher than any other kind! we blame all else but it's really not about the 'other'. It's about us knowing that all lives matter, Black lives no less; or more. That is the call of the African Aliyah. It is a call to all Africans, Diaspora and home based, to live above and beyond self and 'return' skills and other resources to Africa torepair the breaches there. It's specifically a call to invest in the one region that will guarantee a higher return on investment than any other region in the foreseeable future, for the very reason of its deprivations, yet with the greatest resource of all; a vibrant and abundant youth supply! There is money to be made in Africa. There is healing to be gained too. We do not need to beg for money. We have enough. We only need to pool what we have to turn our continent around is short time. Away with the blame game!
