Africa Wants Partnership With Developed World

President John Dramani Mahama has called for a win-win partnership between Africa and the developed countries of Europe and America. Such a partnership, he said, should transfer technology, create jobs and ensure growth and decent lives for Africans. Addressing the Times Chief Executive Officers Summit on Africa in London yesterday, President Mahama said, �Africa seeks a partnership that would be a win-win for the continent�s people and those who wish to invest there.� He said a lot had changed in Africa and that Africans needed to shift their expectations, so that they could fall in line with the present demands. �Gone are the nationalist regimes, the frequent coups, interminable wars, skyrocketing inflation and corrupt pot-bellied dictators. Those risks are not relevant in this age of multi-party elections and political stability. Our democracies may not be perfect, but they are rising up to each and every challenge,� he said. The President said it was an exciting time for Africa, since the continent had many prospects. �The energy of what will come next is almost palpable. I can feel it in this room. I can feel it in every room in which discussions on Africa are taking place. Change takes time, but look at where we were not so long ago, bent and broken. Look at where we are now, standing tall and looking forward. This is much more than a story of Africa�s success. This is a story of Africa�s survival,� he said. President Mahama said towards the close of 2012, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a World Economic Outlook in which it forecast the economic growth of 185 countries. He said based on those estimates, 10 of the 25 countries with the highest projected compounded annual growth rate from 2013 through to 2017 were in sub-Saharan Africa, with Ghana being one of them. He, however, expressed concern as to whether that projected growth was impressive, �when one takes into consideration that thus far it has essentially been a jobless growth because the population is growing at a rate that is faster than the rate at which jobs are created�. For instance, he said, Africa�s labour force would increase from the current 500 million to 1.1 billion by 2040, which would make the continent�s labour force larger than that of China and India. President Mahama said the expansion of population, the labour force and urban centres could cripple the continent if care was not taken. He said urbanisation could undermine the apparent gains of Africa and called for measures to address the situation. �In certain countries, urbanisation is creating overpopulated slums. In others, it is the driving force behind accelerated construction of roads, housing, commercial buildings, water systems and other like projects,� he said.