AFRICA - Disjointed economic growth benefits only a small minority

Rome (Agenzia Fides)- “It is unquestionably true that Africa is growing, but also that it lacks the policies to turn this growth into financial policies which will promote the prosperity of the people ” Fides learned from Italian Xaverian missionary Fr. Gerardo Caglioni, with years of experience in Sierra Leone, as he commented a report issued by a well known consultancy, on the state of Africa's economy. The report affirms that Africa and Asia were the only world continents whose economies showed growth (+ 1.4 %) in 2009, despite the grave world financial crisis. Since 2000, 316 million Africans, more than the entire population of the United States, possess a mobile phone. In 2008 one billion Africans purchased goods worth 860 billion dollars, more than 1.2 billion Indians.
“ Macroeconomic facts do not reveal the final destination of the wealth produced. The price of prime materials has increased, but is this price right for producer countries? And how much of the profit goes to African workers, underpaid, forced to work long hours and without social insurance?” the missionary asks.
“Until there is transparency and a real culture of good governance it will be impossible in Africa to have policies of real development which really improve people's lives. In Africa, disjointed economic growth benefits only a small privileged minority, and excludes the great majority of Africans from the economic miracle” said Fr. Caglioni. “With regard to mobile phones, African culture is based on words and discussion, (palabra). They have gone from tom toms to cell phones. Even though mobile phones can be used to transfer money, in a context where banks are few and far between”.
The report also points out that the number of armed conflicts in Africa has decreased in the past decade. “True, but tension has transferred to the social level. There are serious social conflicts, still latent, in danger of exploding with unprecedented violence, unless they are defused in time. This is true especially in large urban centres. The report rightly says that Africa's demographic landscape is changing dramatically. Africa's once farming and forestal societies, are fast becoming urban. Growing numbers of young people abandon rural areas where life is difficult, and move to the cities, where they find even harder conditions. Unless young people are offered hope for the future, we may be nurturing more violence and conflict ” says Fr. Caglioni.
The report acknowledges the problem and agrees that it is still difficult to guarantee young Africans education and opportunities for work. “Certainly progress has been made in the field of education. A good number of African children and adolescents attend school, however the increase in numbers has meant lower quality education. This is due to a scarcity of teachers, didactic material, (text books and even exercise books) and structures (schools, laboratories)” says Fr. Caglioni.
“Growth in Africa is possible, thanks to natural resources and also human resources, and the men and women of the continent who want a better style of life, but they must be offered concrete opportunities to make their abilities bear fruit” the missionary concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 24/6/2010)