Predicting Africa’s Future and its Political Ties to Denmark
Stig Jensen, Associate Professor at the Centre of African Studies, has recently been in media to discuss Africa’s future and Denmark’s politics regarding Africa.
In GlobalNyt, Jensen discusses how the Danish policy towards Africa needs to shift towards one that encourages a dialogue with a focus on what individual countries need rather than what Denmark needs from them. Previously, Denmark has taken too broad of an approach and needs to adopt a country-based one. They need to not only engage the leaders in society and government but also civil society. Despite our best efforts there are some regions in Africa, the Sahel region, who wish to get rid of all Western influence and are consequently interested in a partnership with countries such as Russia, China, and many in the Middle East. This is problematic for the West as it can limit our access to the vast natural resources Africa has to offer. To learn more, listen to the podcast here; in Danish.
In Fremtidens Africa by P1, Jensen helps develop an idea of what Africa’s future might look like. He speaks of women taking their place at the table, of entrepreneurship, and much more. With 50% of Africa’s population being under the age of twenty-five and migration continuing from rural to urban centers, Jensen details how this leads to joblessness and coupled with rising prices will likely continue to prove a challenge to the population. However, many countries, specifically Tanzania, have seen great relief from the tourism industry which helps minimize unemployment rates. It is likely that Africa will soon develop their natural resources within the continent rather than send them abroad as this could also help develop the country’s economy. To learn more, listen to the podcast here; in Danish.