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South Africans must be more 'African'

Cape Town - South Africans in general tend not to include themselves when they think of Africa, said Abel Sithole, a futurist and financial markets expert.

In most instances they think “very European or American” about Africa, he said on Friday.

This situation needs to change, he told an audience of more than 60 people at the University of Stellenbosch Business School’s celebration of Africa Day.

The business school annually attracts large numbers of students from different parts of Africa, particularly for its portfolio of development finance programmes.

USB has also been a pioneer in becoming the first business school from an African university to achieve the triple crown of international accreditations for business schools.

Sithole, who delivered a talk on the topic Understanding Africa – 1 continent, 54 countries, 1 billion people”, said the image of Africa was twofold.

One is that of a “hopeless continent” with many disadvantages that characterise the continent, namely poverty and disease, cycles of conflict and military and dictatorial one-party states.

The other is that of “Africa rising” where one sees growth – “not just due to rising commodity prices - but also driven by a more vibrant private sector supported by an improved business climate”, as well as “dramatic improvements” in governance and economic management.

Citing information from The Economist and the International Monetary Fund, Sithole pointed out that between 2001 and 2010 the world’s ten fastest growing economies included six African countries (Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Chad, Mozambique and Rwanda).

Between 2011 and 2015, the number will grow to seven (Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Congo, Ghana, Zambia and Nigeria).

He emphasised that to improve the economic status of a nation, people should be more flexible.

It also requires that they produce goods according to market needs and the requirements of all kinds of people.

However, it is important to be mindful of the fact that the market in Africa is a young market, Sithole said.

The average age on the continent is 20.1 years – 17.4 years in DRC, 16.5 years in Zambia; 15.1 years in Uganda and 24 in South Africa.

South Africans will become more African the more they are exposed to experiences in other African countries.

For example, many European and American students are doing internships all over the continent, but one hardly ever finds South African students following suit.

Members of the audience related their personal experiences in other African countries, ranging from top-class service and support to frustration with the processing of visa applications.

One member of the audience said South Africans are not always being made to feel welcome elsewhere on the continent.

The biggest problem is often that South Africans try to recreate themselves when they move into other countries, said Sithole.

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