7.2.1 A Kenyan lady’s letter to her 21-year-old self Dear 21-year old Liza Mungatia,
In 2010, Africa’s population was only 100 million, but now we are 2,400 million. In my country, Kenya, half the population now lives in urban centres. I can guess the question in your head is ‘why?’ Well, we thought that cities were where the real action was, where we could have fun and make money. That is why we finally linked up the big cities on the continent through an elaborate railway line. So right now, you can travel from Nairobi to Dakar by train. I cannot believe that was not possible before! Unfortunately, we solved a transport problem but created many other problems. You see, we had to destroy thousands of hectares of forests and wetlands to make way for the railway. There were other routes but they were costlier, so we settled for the cheapest route and ignored the environmental consequences. How wrong we were! Forest cover is currently at less than 5 per cent, a far cry from the 10 per cent that we once aimed for.
Just last month I travelled to Accra, Ghana, on the trans-Africa high-speed train. When we reached the Congo Basin, I could barely see any forest. It was impossible to believe that Congolese rainforests used to sweep over the entire area way back in 2019. It made me wonder whether we had been faced by a false choice between the trans-Africa railway and the forests.
Was it not possible to have both? I guess we shall never know. But if we could just turn back the hands of time, we could find ways of ensuring that we expand a trans-Africa railway line even as we conserve our forest cover.
Greetings from 2063.
Yours Sincerely, 62-year-old Liza Mungatia, Kenya
7.2.2 A Zambian man’s letter to his 21-year-old self Dear 21-year old Nathan Nyambe,
This current year of 2063 is a little over one hundred years since the wind of political independence swept across Africa. You would think that by now, we would have progressed immeasurably, but sadly, this has not been the case. Africa today remains the poorest continent in the world despite being endowed with precious natural and mineral resources.
Can you imagine that even today in 2063, we are still talking about ‘Africa’s great potential’? Leaders continue to proclaim that inter-African trade holds the potential to stand out as Africa's gateway to both economic and infrastructural development. I heard those same words back when I was 21 and now when I hear them, they ring hollow.
A big hi-five from 2063.
Yours sincerely, Nathan Nyambe P.S. Don’t wait for tomorrow to tap into your potential. Start TODAY!
77
A Positive Outlook
Rami Elsayed
Rami Elsayed
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