Panelists Ponder Progress of Africa

Five experts on Africa discussed the continent’s economic and political progress and prospects last night.

Entitled “Africa: The Next 50 Years,” and featuring a World Bank official and an African and African American Studies professor, the panel convened at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) days after the legitimacy of this Saturday’s presidential election in Nigeria was questioned by various international watchdogs.

The event was also scheduled to fall during the year of the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence from Britain.

Panel members emphasized progress made in various countries, particularly in areas of GDP growth and democratization. They also called for further progress and international aid in science and technology, sustainable economic development, and political stability.

“The critical impediment to sustained economic growth is in inadequate resources” said Mulu Ketsela, an executive director with the World Bank Group for 22 African countries.

The discussion ranged from the influence of China in various African economies, to the need to implement new technologies such as satellite imagery to combat the widespread problem of power outages in South Africa.

The event, co-hosted by the Kennedy School of Government Africa Caucus and the school’s Africa Policy Journal, focused on the economic needs of the continent and sought predictions about Africa’s future. But panelists were hesitant to do just that, said Professor of the Practice of International Development Calestous Juma, the event’s moderator.

The controversy of the recent Nigerian election figured prominently in the minds of both audience members and panelists.

According to Ketsela, the election signaled the growing strength of democratic institutions on the continent.

However, one audience member said the reaction of other African countries did not match the international community’s criticism of the election.

The event was small but it reflected a desire to open up dialogue about Africa among African students at the Kennedy School, according to one of the event coordinators, KSG student Kobina Aidoo.

“The purpose of the event is to put things into perspective about what has gone right and what has gone wrong,” he said.