I penned an opinion text for CNN that’s been published. I was asked to comment on the state of the new reality in Africa in light of this year’s WTO Doha round of talks in Davos.
(CNN) — While the developed nations drag their feet on inclusive trade agreements with emerging markets, Africa is busy redefining itself. Most of the continent’s countries — remnants of colonial rule — are barely 50 years old, infant nations on the path to democratic maturity.
Nonetheless, the world is impatient to see a matured Africa unencumbered by battle scars emblematic of the march to democracy. This year, the continent is on the verge of birthing a new nation in Southern Sudan. In Tunisia, the “jasmine revolution” has gone a long way towards shrugging off the shackles of dictatorial rule. The world need not worry; this isn’t prescient to a new wave of unrest for the world’s youngest continent. This is the beginning of a renaissance.
Africa is rising, and not because global summits such as Davos are delivering results, but because the continent itself is awakening at the behest of half a billion people yet to experience their 20th birthday.
You can read the rest on the CNN site.
