Foresight Africa 2023 Report Overview Related Past Reports 01 Economic Recovery and Growth Tackling multiple headwinds 02 Food Security Strengthening Africa’s food systems 03 Education and Skills Equipping a labor force for the future 04 Health Assuring health security for all 05 Gender Closing the equity gap 06 Climate Change Adapting to a new normal 07 Africa's Cities Realizing the new urban agenda Brookings Africa Growth Initiative Foresight Africa 2023 Download the 2023 report Upcoming Event Foresight Africa: Top priorities for Africa in 2023 On January 30, AGI will host a Foresight Africa launch event featuring a high-level panel of leading Africa experts to offer insights on regional trends along with recommendations for national governments, regional organizations, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and civil society actors as they forge ahead in 2023. Monday, January 30, 2023 9:30AM - 11:00AM EST Virtual or in person Register to attend Register for webcast More details Report Overview As with every iteration of Foresight Africa , we aim to capture the top priorities for the region in the year ahead, offering recommendations for supporting Africa at a time of heightened global turbulence. We hope that Foresight Africa 2023 will promote dialogue on the key issues influencing development policy and practice in Africa throughout this year.
Such ideas will ultimately provide sound strategies for expanding the benefits of economic growth to all Africans in the years ahead. Browse through the chapters below 01 Economic Recovery and Growth Tackling multiple headwinds Africa’s economic recovery is currently threatened by multiple crises and a precarious external environment. The war in Ukraine and global surge in inflation have ripped open the scars of the pandemic—putting historic pressure on food, fuel, and fertilizer prices.
Meanwhile, the uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to feature in headlines across Africa and elsewhere. Fragility in parts of the continent and adverse weather conditions are also key concerns. With these challenges, it is easy to be pessimistic about Africa’s prospects, and yet, Africa has proved resilient—time and time again.
In Chapter 1, our authors share reasons for optimism in Africa’s resilience and offer policy options for tackling the multiple headwinds facing the region. Read Chapter 1 Viewpoints See all 02 Food Security: Strengthening Africa’s food systems Food security has taken on heightened policy relevance as several challenges and exogenous shocks—including the increased incidence of droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events; recurrent outbreaks of pests and diseases; and limited adoption of yield-increasing technologies—have exposed the fragilities of Africa’s food systems, jeopardizing the ability to meet the food demand of a burgeoning population. For this reason, we dedicate Chapter 2 to strategies for strengthening Africa’s food systems to achieve better food access, improved nutrition, and agricultural transformation.
Read Chapter 2 Viewpoints See all 03 Education and Skills: Equipping a labor force for the future The COVID-19 pandemic, climate shocks, and conflict have left many African children out of school and set them back in terms of learning outcomes. Yet, for Africa to prosper, investing in the education and skilling of the region’s next labor force, must be at the heart of strategies for inclusive and sustainable growth. As such, in Chapter 3, our authors focus on policy options to close the financing gap needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 (inclusive and equitable quality education); debate ways to ensure Africa’s burgeoning youth demographic is ably equipped with knowledge and skills for gainful employment; and provide strategies to mitigate learning losses arising from pandemic-related closures and disruptions.
Read Chapter 3 Viewpoints See all 04 Health: Assuring health security for all As the continent looks to make a full recovery and gain back lost ground, we must not forget a key lesson from the pandemic: Sound health systems and economic resilience are closely intertwined. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in health systems around the world—not least in Africa, which was already burdened with poor health outcomes due to the prevalence of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, among other development challenges. To this end, in Chapter 4, our experts reflect on lessons from the pandemic and propose ideas to strengthen Africa’s health systems to secure health for all.
Read Chapter 4 Viewpoints See all 05 Gender: Closing the equity gap The burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic have been unequally borne across regions and countries, between the poor and better off, and between men and women. Existing economic gender inequalities—related to income, coping strategies, labor and time use, food and water insecurity, and child education outcomes—have been further exacerbated by today’s interlocking challenges and headwinds. Thus, we have dedicated a full chapter (Chapter 5), to the gender dimensions of Africa’s economic recovery and what strategies policymakers should be attuned to in order to close the gender gap.
Read Chapter 5 Viewpoints See all 06 Climate Change: Adapting to a new normal A momentous highlight from the year 2022 was COP27—"Africa's COP"—and the breakthrough agreement to establish a “loss and damage” fund. While the historic outcome is a welcome one and will help Africa adapt to a new normal, much remains to be done to operationalize the fund and advance progress on climate adaptation, mitigation, and awareness. Thus, in Chapter 6, our authors show that through political will, collective action, and innovative financing—as was ably demonstrated during the pandemic—the climate crisis can indeed be overcome.
Read Chapter 6 Viewpoints See all 07 Africa’s Cities: Realizing the new urban agenda While Africa has the fastest urbanization rate globally, it has yet to realize the full potential and economic benefits of agglomeration observed in other regions. For this reason, in Chapter 7 on cities and urbanization, our experts explore the key barriers and obstacles to realizing the new urban agenda facing Africa’s city managers—from Lagos to Cape Town. Read Chapter 7 Viewpoints See all Related Event Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2023 On January 30, AGI will host a Foresight Africa launch featuring a high-level panel of leading Africa experts to offer insights on regional trends along with recommendations for national governments, regional organizations, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and civil society actors as they forge ahead in 2023.
Africa in Focus What should be the top priority for Africa in 2023? By ALOYSIUS UCHE ORDU Aloysius Uche Ordu introduces Foresight Africa 2023, which outlines top priorities for the year ahead and offers recommendations for supporting Africa at a time of heightened global turbulence. Series Foresight Africa Podcast The Foresight Africa podcast celebrates Africa’s dynamism and explores strategies for broadening the benefits of growth to all people of Africa. Past Reports Foresight Africa 2022: Top priorities for the Continent in 2022 Chapters Viewpoints 1.
Africa's Economic Recovery Financing robust post-pandemic growth ➔ By Makhtar Diop 2. Public Health Ensuring equal access and self-sufficiency ➔ By Muhammad Ali Pate 3. African Women and Girls Leading a continent ➔ By H.
E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 4. Climate Change Tackling a global challenge ➔ By Edem Adzogenu 5.
Technological Innovations Creating and harnessing tools for improved livelihoods ➔ By Landry Signé 6. Africa's External Relations Reinventing and pursuing new partnerships ➔ By Greg Mills and Marie-Noelle Nwokolo ‣ Africa’s youth are already leading the way to economic success By IFEYINWA UGOCHUKWU ‣ Philanthropy plays a vital role in meeting development challenges and mitigating crises in sub-Saharan Africa By UNA OSILI ‣ Managing COVID-19 response public resources with accountability in Africa By OBIAGELI “OBY” EZEKWESILI ‣ Africa's latent assets By James A. Robinson and Soeren J.
Henn ‣ Addressing Zimbabwe’s inflation: The role of the digitalization of financial transactions By MTHULI NCUBE/p> ‣ Investment in science and technology is key to an African economic boom By AMEENAH GURIB-FAKIM AND LANDRY SIGNÉ ‣ Zambia's success will be Africa's success By H. E. HAKAINDE HICHILEMA ‣ Africa’s just energy transition could boost health outcomes By RAYMOND GILPIN ‣ How strengthened political engagement can lead to improved health outcomes in Africa By JEAN-BAPTISTE NIKIEMA ‣ What’s next for R&D in health for Africa? By CHRISTIAN HAPPI ‣ The future of vaccine manufacturing in Africa By CHIDI VICTOR NWENEKA AND TOLU DISU ‣ Strategies for financing Africa's health sector By Vera Songwe ‣ Paying for the malaria vaccine: Will Africa take responsibility? By OLUSOJI ADEYI ‣ Vaccine inequity: Ensuring Africa is not left out By MICHEL SIDIBÉ ‣ Strategies for advancing African women in academia By REBECCA AFUA KLEGE ‣ Women and e-commerce in Africa: The $15 billion opportunity By ALEXA ROSCOE AND ANNE NJAMBI KABUGI ‣ The women of Sudan will not accept setbacks By ROGAIA ABUSHARAF ‣ It is not yet Uhuru for the women of Uganda By WINNIE KIIZA ‣ Priorities for advancing women’s equal political leadership in the coming year By CHIEDO NWANKWOR ‣ Making the future of African STEM female By ADEFUNKE EKINE AND AYOTOLA AREMU ‣ The urgency and benefits of climate adaptation for Africa’s agriculture and food security By HOLGER A.
KRAY, CHAKIB JENANE, EDE IJJASZ-VASQUEZ, AND JAMAL SAGHIR ‣ Climate migration—deepening our solutions By SIMEON K. EHUI AND KANTA KUMARI RIGAUD ‣ Managing existential risk and climate resilience: The case of Nigeria By AMARA NWANKPA ‣ The view from Freetown, Sierra Leone By YVONNE AKI-SAWYERR ‣ The criticality of climate finance for Africa By AMAR BHATTACHARYA ‣ Addressing Africa’s dual challenges: Climate change and electricity access By JEANINE MABUNDA LIOKO ‣ Africa and the future of digital diplomacy By OLUBUKOLA S. ADESINA ‣ Developing an effective data governance framework to deliver African digital potentials By ADEDEJI ADENIRAN ‣ The role of cryptocurrencies in sub-Saharan Africa By BITANGE NDEMO ‣ The view from Freetown, Sierra Leone By YVONNE AKI-SAWYERR ‣ Boosting the AfCFTA: The role of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System By MIKE OGBALU III ‣ Africa needs smarter investment in digital infrastructure: Strategies for enticing the private sector By TARA NATHAN ‣ The view from Freetown, Sierra Leone By YVONNE AKI-SAWYERR ‣ The private sector must do its part on data governance in Africa By LESLY GOH AND BUHLE GOSLAR ‣ The future of India-Africa relations: Opportunities abound By STEPHEN KARINGI AND LAURA N.
NALIAKA ‣ Deepening Gulf engagement with sub-Saharan Africa By TARIK M. YOUSEF ‣ UK-Africa relations: The need for an urgent reset By SARA PANTULIANO AND MAX MENDEZ-PARRA ‣ The future of Russia-Africa relations By JOSEPH SIEGLE Download Read online Foresight Africa 2021: Top priorities for Africa in 2021 Chapters Viewpoints 1. The Great Reset Relaunching African economies ➔ By Acha Leke, Landry Signé, and Vera Songwe 2.
Support for Public Health Preparing for the next pandemic ➔ By John Nkengasong 3. Human Development Protecting vulnerable populations ➔ By Jakkie Cilliers and Stellah Kwasi 4. Private Sector Leadership Building African businesses and creating jobs ➔ By Edem Adzogenu 5.
Continental Integration Uniting a revitalized Africa ➔ By Wamkele Mene 6. Good Governance Building trust between people and their leader ➔ By E. Gyimah-Boadi ‣ Keep remittances flowing to Africa By Dilip Ratha ‣ Threats to job creation: Tourism and COVID-19 By John Page ‣ Recipe for a green recovery: Carbon taxes By Gunnar Köhlin, Ira Dorband, Jan Christoph Steckel, and Thomas Sterner ‣ Debt sustainability and financing for development: A key post-COVID challenge By Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly ‣ From stimulus to debt: The case of South Africa By Haroon Bhorat and Gracelin Baskaran ‣ Investing in national public health institutes for future pandemics: Lessons from Nigeria By Chikwe Ihekweazuu ‣ Preventing the next pandemic: Addressing antibiotic resistance By Patricia Geli and Otto Cars ‣ Navigating the complexities around a COVID vaccine in Africa By Uwagbale Edward-Ekpu ‣ The future of data: Unmasking community-level differences to better address food insecurity By Ben Leo ‣ The SDGs are our compass for bolstering Africa’s long-term COVID recovery By Amina J.
Mohammed ‣ Africa faces a hard choice on the SDGs under COVID-19 By Kasirim Nwuke ‣ Invisible lives, missing voices: Putting women and girls at the center of post-COVID-19 recovery and reconstruction By Damaris Seleina Parsitau ‣ Deepening access to capital for Nigerian MSMEs during a pandemic By Toyin Adeniji ‣ Shared failure, shared success: Africa’s economic recovery must be structural By Lerang Selolwane ‣ Long-term strategies for an African recovery from COVID-19: A CEO’s perspective By Ashish J. Thakkar ‣ Priorities for supporting trade under a build-back-better agenda By Admassu Tadesse ‣ Facilitating the transformational AfCFTA: Tools for eliminating bottlenecks By Benedict Okey Oramah ‣ Improving infrastructure in Africa: Creating long-term resilience through investment By Alain Ebobissé ‣ Building African economies back, better and stronger than before By Akinwumi A. Adesina ‣ Entrenching democracy in African countries: Policy imperatives for leaders in 2021 By John Mukum Mbaku ‣ Governance in Africa: Citizen dissatisfaction is growing, and COVID-19 is likely to reverse recent gains By Nathalie Delapalme ‣ Biden, democracy, and Africa By Witney Schneidman ‣ All of us together: Governing Malawi By Lazarus M.
Chakwera ‣ Voting in a pandemic: Lessons for elections in Africa in 2021 By Rushdi Nackerdien Download Read online Foresight Africa: Top priorities for Africa in 2020-2030 Chapters Viewpoints 1. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals The state of play and options ➔ By Belay Begashaw 2. Deepening good governance Inclusion, democracy, and security ➔ By John Mukum Mbaku 3.
Leveraging demographic trends for economic transformation Job creation, skills development, and urbanization policies ➔ By Zaakhir Asmal, Haroon Bhorat, and John Page 4. Combating climate change An urgent call for comprehensive global and local action ➔ By Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala 5. Capturing the Fourth Industrial Revolution A regional and national agenda ➔ By Njuguna Ndung’u and Landry Signé 6.
Bolstering Africa’s role in the global economy The importance of regional integration ➔ By Vera Songwe ‣ Strategies for delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals: Some lessons from Rwanda By Uzziel Ndagijimana ‣ Approaches for better resource mobilization to finance Africa’s Sustainable Development Goals By Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly ‣ Closing the gender gap in African labor markets is good economics By Andinet Woldemichael ‣ Unpacking the implications of future trends for security in Africa By Raymond Gilpin ‣ Prerequisites to getting Africa’s urbanization ‘right’ By Somik V. Lall ‣ Computer science can help Africans develop skills of the future By Rebecca Winthrop and Lauren Ziegler ‣ Young Africa Works: A strategy to create 30 million jobs for youth over the next decade By Lindsay Wallace ‣ Confronting the challenges of climate change on Africa’s coastal areas By Ahmadou Aly Mbaye ‣ Policy priorities for achieving food and nutrition security by
