Give Africa a chance to develope

 Africa's population will increase dramatically and more will continue to make their way to Europe. But with education there are ways to contribute to creating other conditions, write representatives of the organization Alef.

  According to forecasts, Africa's population will double by the year 2050. The number of people trying to escape to Europe from a hopeless life situation in their home country may multiply. In that case, it is not enough to have border guards and effective asylum screening.

  It is possible to take preventive measures to lift people out of poverty. Both humanitarian and economic reasons suggest that this is the right way to go. The EU election that took place was in many ways a reaction to immigration pressure from Africa. Walls and borders were keywords in the election campaign. The debate pointed to all these young men who seek Europe from a hopeless existence in their home countries. They rarely have valid reasons for asylum but are attracted by the dream of a tolerable life on our continent.

 Every year, large numbers of them drown in the Mediterranean. A humanitarian disaster that rarely makes headlines. The political response to the problem has been tighter border control, effective asylum screening and a rapid return of people without a valid reason for asylum to their home countries. But don't we need to look up and broaden the analysis? Everything points to the fact that immigration pressure will increase drastically. An underlying problem is population growth in Africa. While much of the world's population is stagnating, Africa's population is projected to double in the next 25 years. Of the eight countries in the world that will account for more than half of the population increase until 2050, five are in Africa. Nigeria is expected to overtake the United States in population. We are facing an incredibly dramatic demographic change. The consequence is obvious: More and more desperate Africans will seek a future in Europe. The number of small boats multiplies. Tens of thousands of people will drown in the Mediterranean with their longing for a more dignified life. Dealing with this increased migration pressure may become the dominant challenge for Europe in the coming decades.

  Regardless of one's view of migration, it should be clear to everyone that measures to increase border control will not be enough to deal with this challenge. As in other policy areas, preventive efforts are also needed. We need to look up and see what we can do to change the life situation these people are fleeing in the long term. A clear focus is needed on constructive efforts for lasting change, which are not squandered in bureaucracy and corruption. The positive message is that this is possible to do.

  A key issue is education. In 2024, it is estimated that 773 million people in the world will lack the ability to read, write and count. We find a significant percentage of these in Africa. Two thirds are women. In ten African countries, more than a quarter of the inhabitants are illiterate.

  In many African countries, a third of all children leave school before grade five. When women (above all) and men acquire basic reading skills, much changes both in their living conditions and in the surrounding society. They are empowered to change their lives and improve their finances. In doing so, they develop their local communities. Furthermore, they gain the ability to support their children's schooling, which is of great importance in the long term. In addition, they can participate more actively in social life and influence the country's development. We who are writing this have seen this tremendous power of change up close. We are active within Alef, a Swedish organization focused on effective learning of reading, writing and mathematics in one's own mother tongue in African countries. We have thousands of stories about people who created a new future for themselves after completing their education.

  They start their own companies. They can negotiate better business terms. They get a different status and can raise their voice in the local community. They break the negative spiral. They spread hope for a future in their own country. We know that it is possible to create big changes with small funds without either corruption or bureaucracy.

  The paradox is that, in this situation, Europe's governments choose to cut aid to Africa. One motive is that the reception of refugees takes a lot of resources. In Sweden, where there is an extensive restructuring of the aid, an organization like Alef will not receive a penny in government aid starting next year, even though scientific evaluations can confirm the effectiveness of the operation. Instead, we must rely on committed private donors and philanthropic foundations, who understand the developmental power of giving people literacy and thus increased empowerment. They realize the value of efforts for Africa's development that have a lasting effect. We are grateful for that. But at the same time we are frustrated.

  We wish that insight also reached our political decision-makers. We could do so much more! It is about giving people in African countries a future and hope. But it is also about measures that can affect migration to Europe in the long term and on a large scale. It's about looking away from border control and asylum testing and thinking long-term.

Hélène Boëthius founder and chairman, Alef – Adult Learning and Empowerment Facilitators Markus Ask Secretary-General-elect, Alef Bertil Forsberg board member, Alef

Also check:

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2021/02/populationgrowth-needs-to-be-slowed.html

and:

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2020/07/knowledgeof-history-is-important-part.html

Todd