Hey, guys, I’ve been thinking out of all the African countries, which one do you think has the greatest potential to become a fully developed, first-world nation? Like, which country seems poised to make that leap into being on par with places like Europe or North America in terms of development and quality of life?
A lot of interesting things are going in Africa! In tech, schooling, and infrastructure, places like Rwanda, Kenya, and Senegal are making great progress. Seeing how far things have come is encouraging.
With the exception of South Africa, all African nations began from a low base 40–50 years ago. In 50 years, the most developed countries will be those that have mastered the art of effective export-led economic policies, diverting politicians’ greed for wealth into companies that benefit the nation as a whole, as Malaysia does, and maintaining a political structure that keeps all of the nation’s tribes and religions peaceful and supportive of the state.
My aspirations are highest for Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda (who have had to acquire these new ideals the hard way), Tunisia, and Ghana.
Without a doubt South Africa.
South Africa is a strange combination of two distinct markets; one is extremely underdeveloped and one extremely developed. South Africa has some of the most sophisticated financial services and is developing products that are unheard of in much of the ‘West’.
Also South Africa is politically stable and growing economically.
Good political governance is something that South Africa lacks. And that’s precisely what a large portion of the opposition parties’ support rise is based on. Good governance in the nation will rise as power struggles intensify in response to this growing support. Things will drastically improve once we have achieved a sufficient tipping point.
Take a look at the Western Cape Province if you have any doubts. The province’s unemployment rate has dropped by more than 2% since the ruling party was ousted from office. This is true even while there is a recession and there isn’t a fundamental difference in the provinces’ economic policies (economic policy is chosen nationally, not locally). Achieving the same level of efficiency across all provinces would result in an unparalleled rate of economic growth.
South Africa , ,NOT VERY SURE