“Aging” Japan vs. Africa, the “youngest continent” in the world

I specialize in Sub-Saharan Africa, the area that lies south of the Sahara. The economic growth in this region has been gradually on an upward trend since around 2000. The GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa has been growing at around 5% yearly. However, this figure is just the mean, and some countries have achieved higher growth rates than that, while some countries have seen only sluggish growth. Many of you may think the reason why African countries are developing countries is that the African people’s motivation and ambition are weak. But if they seem “unmotivated and unambitious,” there is the inescapable historical background that has given rise to these circumstances.

Europeans began making their presence felt in Africa after the mid-15th century when the period called the “Age of Discovery” began. After the period of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the “Partition of Africa” in which European powers divided and colonized almost all of the continent except Ethiopia and Liberia, took place in the latter half of the 19th century. It was after the mid-20th century in the post-World War II era that various territories became independent. People tend to think that independence from colonialism means the country that existed prior to colonization becomes independent. However, this is not the case with Africa. The borders dividing African countries which became independent after the mid-20th century were demarcated by Europeans during the colonial era, and most of the borders remained in place after these countries became independent. Consequently, it was not unusual that groups of people whose language and customs were different from other groups in the same region were suddenly treated as the same “nationality,” or people who spoke the same language were divided into multiple “countries.” One example is the Ewe people who lived in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. These people ended up living in three separate countries: Ghana, Togo and Benin. The official language of Ghana, an former English colony, is English, and the official language of Togo and Benin, former French colonies, is French. As a result of the “Partition of Africa,” people with the same culture and customs were placed in completely different circumstances. In such “countries,” there were often cases that some people did not accept the elected leader as their representative. And the leader also was inclined toward nepotism that granted favor to his ethnic group or relatives, resulting in dictatorship and repression of ethnic groups different from his own. As a consequence, increasing antagonisms among ethnic groups, as well as blatant intervention by the United States, the Soviet Union and former colonial powers in the midst of the Cold War, led to many conflicts and civil wars. Under such circumstances, it was difficult for people to achieve unity or to have a sense of motivation and ambition.

About a half century after independence, the circumstances started changing. It was a time when the second and third generation of those born after independence came into being, and the consciousness and identity of a single nation that transcended ethnicity started forming among these generations. And, with the end of the Cold War in 1989, the structure that had supported dictatorships in various African countries collapsed. Furthermore, the significance of democratization started filtering down to the people through easy access to information around the world due to advances in ICT (information and communication technology). This is the background of the change in the circumstances. In fact, the number of countries with long-time dictatorial administrations, which were once numerous, has decreased, and more and more countries have achieved regime changes without chaos through democratic election procedures. Economic growth in each country is backed by these changes in social circumstances. In other words, each African country has begun to achieve steady economic growth, which cannot be attributed to some sudden factors or an economic bubble.

But there are challenges. One of them is the widening economic gap. Although people living in large cities benefit from increased income and higher education, many rural areas remain unchanged. More than 40% of the population who belong to the poorest sector in Sub-Saharan Africa make their living on less than 1.25 dollars per day. There are still many more people who cannot afford $5 to $10 malaria drugs. With the cooperation of the international community and through the local people’s own efforts, enrolment in primary education has exceeded 90%. However, many children drop out of school due to economic or other reasons. Although more and more people living in the cities have enrolled in universities, this accounts for only 10% of the population overall when rural areas are included. In fact, in Africa, one’s educational background is highly valued. It is difficult to find a job without a degree in higher education, and as a result, many people cannot escape the cycle of poverty. The fair distribution of wealth and correction of disparities are major political challenges.

Despite advancement in urbanization, infrastructure development has failed to keep pace with urban advancement. People have no choice but to depend on non-utility generation, and face waste problems and slums in the cities. In recent years, China has been focusing its support on upgrading urban infrastructure, constructing railways and roads, and developing ports and production facilities. China’s investment in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased sharply since 2000. China deserves full credit for its efforts to play a role in economic growth, as well as in education and healthcare improvement, in African countries. On the other hand, there is the criticism that China may be trying to put Africa under its influence through large-scale economic aid. Some also doubt if it is financially possible for China to continue what it has been doing.