Africa can’t be ignored

Most Americans know very little about Africa. In fact, many Americans seem to believe Africa is a country, not a continent. But Africa is made up of 54 countries and has an enormous range of challenges and opportunities. It is a part of the world Americans cannot ignore.

With Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Ethiopia, our gaze is shifting for a moment to Africa. A new report by the World Health Organization finds that life expectancy, which had been growing throughout the continent, is now in danger of backsliding. Of major concern to health officials is a dangerous increase in the incidence of diabetes, hypertension and noncommunicable diseases — accounting for half of hospital bed occupancies in countries such as Kenya.

Alcohol and tobacco use is on the rise in Africa, and health systems are struggling to contend with the effects. Poor nutrition and childhood diseases and death challenge an already strained medical infrastructure.

Why should you care?

Start with a few astonishing facts: According to the United Nations, by the time Africa’s Agenda 2063 comes to fruition, Africa will have as many people as China and India combined — one-third of the world’s working-age population.

Seventy percent of sub-Saharan Africa is under the age of 30. All these young people are a market dream for companies looking for new consumers and entrepreneurial talent. It has talented athletes and spaces for major sporting events. It has abundant raw materials — from diamonds to cocoa beans. It has many cultures and attractions for tourists. Yet despite all these positive markers, the continent struggles.

Its growth is uneven, with countries like Niger and Namibia mired in abject poverty and more developed countries like Nigeria and South Africa continuing to grow. Overall, the Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts growth of about 3.2 percent for Africa.

Africa’s problems are a laundry list of woes balanced against hope and resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on Africans. Initial estimates found that Africa didn’t suffer as much as much as other continents. But new reporting shows that case and deaths counts were vastly underestimated. In one recent study, nearly 90 percent of deceased individuals at a morgue in Zambia were infected with COVID-19, but only 10 percent tested positive while alive.

Climate change is also taking a toll on Africa, especially its agricultural sector. It is estimated that a fifth of Africans suffer from chronic hunger made worse by flooding. Africa pollutes less than other continents but bears a disproportionate burden from pollution. Between 1850 and 2020, Africa’s contribution to global emissions remained below 3 percent, and yet it is estimated that it lost between 5 percent and 15 percent of its GDP each year because of climate change.

Conflict and terrorism continue to plague the region. The recent killing of a senior Islamic State operative by U.S. troops in a Somali cave reflects the still operational financial network of crime and terrorism from the Horn of Africa to the to the southern tip of the continent.

Four of the world’s six deadliest countries are in Africa (Mali, Niger, Somalia and Burkina Faso), and they accounted for 77.3 percent of total terrorism deaths in 2021 (3,223 deaths). Ethiopia has a difficult peace process underway with Eritrea. Rwanda remains plagued by conflict with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Africa isn’t President Biden’s top international priority, of course, but there are things his administration can do to accelerate progress on the continent. One is simply to visit Africa. The public diplomacy value of a presidential trip is that it galvanizes attention at home and abroad.

The U.S. must also support Africa’s energy transition. That means helping Africa achieve universal access to modern sustainable energy, which would lead to job growth, clean technologies and a reduction in carbon emissions.

But for African countries to really succeed, systemic discrimination against women and girls must be dismantled. Many women in Africa still lack access to health care, banking, technology and education.

Africa was once referred to by Westerners as the “dark continent.” But glimmers of light can now be glimpsed. For the continent to achieve its abundant potential, the education and empowerment of women must be made a priority.

Tara D. Sonenshine has written many speeches for others. She is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.