COMMENTARY

The rise of a new Africa

By Charles Sam

Charles Sam

Times, seasons and eras are an integral part of human advancement, and so do nations and continents go through generational cycles. 20th century Africa can be likened to the Israelis who were led out of Egypt by Moses to build a new nation.

Their dispensation, mindset, sole dependence on God for direct provision without using the already blessed dynamic human capabilities He had given to them to make a paradise of their lives, and Moses their leader, whom they consistently grumbled against, criticized, threatened, rebelled against, even insulted without offering any constructive prescriptions for the way forward, was not the kind that God could cooperate with in the serious business of implementing an ambitious vision of creating a new nation.

God had to wait for their children, another generation, who were wired, trained, relevantly skilled, prepared and positioned differently, obviously premised on a winner's mindset and not a defeatist one.

Over half a century after the 20th century birth of new nations on the continent, that was characterized by a people with heightened aspirations, and pledges at the various independence dates to construct on the trinity of justice, peace, and opportunity for all, has turned out to be a "short-change" situation in which the older generation has failed to adequately and relevantly train, raise up, mould, prepare, strategically position and facilitate opportunities for the continent's new generation to drive a 21st century agenda with its high energy levels.

Unfortunately Africa's emerging middle class of the new generation stock has largely been fashioned in some aspects, in the mold of the old and find themselves operating in the belly of the older generation.

After missing our way in the wilderness and engaging ourselves in full accelerated gear down the garden path of self-destruction, 20th century Africa was eventually reduced to a daily struggle for survival that outweighed the urge to aspire to the heights of other freedoms and majority of us adjusted accurate interpretation of our situation to later wisdom and experience.

Africa's closure of the 20th century is long overdue. How can we still be putting old wine in new wine skins? How can we be operating with 20th century tools in a 21st century world? Why do we invest the bulk of our energy litigating the past, rather than forge forcefully, a progressive future?

How can we still be functioning as a 20th century continent in a fast-changing 21st century inter-twined global-spirited world? How can we be engaged in 20th century parenting, political, traditional and business leadership, business practices, irrelevant education, pastoral leadership and style, industry, agrarian agriculture, planning and infrastructure development, all premised on a dead century's thinking, and expect to be competitive?

But there is hope because there is a new constituency of youthful Africans out there fighting forcefully and relentlessly for identity change, a new direction and a new globally-competitive path, and this is an indication that the dry bones shall live again!!. The greatest asset Africa has in this fast, complex, innovative, scientific, technologically-driven, and highly-competitive global-spirited world, is young people brimming with energy, creativity, enthusiasm, an aspirational DNA, and determination to rapidly transform the continent.

It is however worthy of note that even though some of us of the progressive new generation stock are using the bottom-top approach, energizing young minds, attitudes, influencing their dispositions, and stimulating them into strategic action, especially to occupy positions of responsibility and influence, it is imperative that young people be brought up in an atmosphere of intellectualism and constructive freedom.

A continent that seeks an established market niche with respectability, in a highly-competitive 21st century world, should deliberately strengthen it's future.

At all levels of society and across segments of society that constitute nations of the continent, the older generation, led by political leadership, should urgently promote a youth-driven agenda, must make room for evolving citizens, put in place corrective measures to deal with dysfunctional families, the inadequate, non-rounded, irrelevant educational system, the way we engage young people, the way we bring them up, their marginalization from opportunities, and avoid the grave danger of our youth being held together by poverty, crime and violence, and channeling their high energies into reigns of terror.

Africa's growing middle class with new knowledge, should connect and constructively engage the youth, energizing them with their resourcefulness. China, after engaging in a crucial exercise of thorough complimentary global research to determine her precise core-competency both regionally and globally, recognized that (1) The law of nature goes against the older generation (naturally slower in thinking and action) (2) The enthusiasm and momentum of the older generation to change the status quo lacks energy (3) A more youthful generation is likely to take the kinds of risk necessary for big, volume-based transformation(4)

It takes one of a younger generation to promote and drive revolutionary change, and therefore took major, urgent, strategic steps to bring the youth up to speed to enhance global competitiveness. The game is not just about being youthful, but youthful with quality, relevant, rounded education and the power to create dramatic change.

Our game must change. It is time for a generational change across the continent and to see tangible economic improvements in the lives of a critical mass of our youth. The future is NOW and we are already late. WAKE UP TO THE NEW DAY REALITY, OLD GENERATION AFRICA !!. RISE UP TO RESPONSIBILITY, NEW GENERATION AFRICA !! YES WE CAN!!

***Charles Sam, Golden Future Promotions, Accra - Ghana