Saturday 16 March 2013

tS - Reasons for Optimism series: Africa’s lions are roaring as economies take off


Reasons for Optimism series: Africa’s lions are roaring as economies take off” by Jonathan Power is an optimistic and concise article that praises the economy in Africa.  Power discusses primarily the use of cell phones and the growth of this market on the continent in comparison to any other global market.  Power’s article is quite encouraging.  Many Ghanaians I know have regularly explained to me the importance of boosting their economy.  The goal behind this boost always seems to be that they want to be rich like the foreigners that come visit them.  The humanitarian side of me agrees.  I don’t understand why there is so much food and technology, yet so few are able to take advantage of either.  Those who do are a minority, despite this not being obvious to them.

On the other hand, I can’t help but think about so many of the problems that can be seen.  Humans have created the economy, yet we now depend on it as though it is a divine being.  Many people work at reducing poverty, yet they disregard what causes poverty.  Is poverty really the problem?  Could people feed themselves without the economy?  Could technology be created then used in a way that all benefit, rather than causing mass environmental and social destruction?  These questions raise a lot of issues and the answers seem simple to me, yet so many disagree.  If they don’t, then they appear to, because these problems persist.

Let’s look at the main technology discussed – cell phones.  In a few previous posts(18 June 2012; 26 July 2012; and 4 December 2012), I have discussed electronic waste, of which cell phones do play a part.  Now, let’s look at another side.  Cell phones, like any other consumer product, need to be assembled.  Who assembles them?  I do not have the answer for all cases, though based on what I do know at this time, working and living conditions tend to be in the form of suffering.  Where do the parts come from?  They are made with minerals and oil products.  First, the extractive industry is known to cause much devastation across the world.  Resource extraction can often cause much conflict, particularly as the firms increase in size.  When I mention the Western Region, I am sure many Ghanaians remember relatively recent conflicts in Bogoso, Prestea, Wassa ...these conflicts were because of the mining of minerals that are needed to create the technologies necessary to boost an economy.  Some companies are working at improving the problems, though this is not the case in many places, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The economy may be an important part of the current system, but at what cost?

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