Page 19 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 11

MY AFRIKA

preservation. to the inevitable construction boom to control congestion, and charge
and speedy infrastructure develop- for leases to businesses seeking to
4. Peddling contemporaries from ment in the wake of rapid economic benefit from the enormous foot
abroad growth. Legal challenges to eminent traffic there.
Africa is home to diverse cultures domain, land development, zoning
and we celebrate our beautiful and construction-permit issues will It is better to offer chances for in-
different ethnic backgrounds. Al- all need speedy, binding solutions to formal sector participants to register
though distinct, we share many sim- prevent critical projects from stall- themselves or their businesses as
ilarities. The African culture stands ing, which would affect jobs, slow legitimate entities. Governments can
strong to depict core values like growth and limit FDI inflows. incentivize vendor registration, for
love, respect, positivity, and a deep Digital transformations are crucial instance, by building fully outfitted
sense of community. These values to sustainably transforming infor- modern marketplaces where regis-
are prominently expressed in the mal-sector enterprises into regulat- trants can easily set up their busi-
African way of life, particularly in ed formal-sector entities. Africa’s nesses. Authorities can, as part of
arts and crafts. While every item that informal sectors currently are the the registration process, insist that
comes from the continent is a bold continent’s largest employer, even traders use mobile payments. This
expression of its roots, it can be though participants do not con- way, governments can quickly and
adapted to fit many lifestyles. Fash- tribute to public revenues. Govern- more accurately gauge the level of
ion, Jewelry, Artwork and Interior ments have attempted to focus on activity in a given area in real time.
décor are among avenues through punitive and regulatory measures to
which Africans can uniquely express “force” formalization or disrupt the Other reforms and investments
their roots and artistic minds. informal-sector completely. Already, would also be made in the agricul-
the continent is rapidly adopting and tural sectors, which already employ
However, an ever present envy and using mobile money in lieu of bank about 64 percent of the continent’s
admiration of cultures from the transfers and physical cash transac- labor force, including women. Re-
west have majorly been pivotal to tions. Governments can take this a forms would aim to reduce subsis-
the frowning value down-surge of step further by providing citizens tence farming by incentivizing the
African domestic customs and ‘Her- with access to a wide range of pub- formation of farming associations
itage of Splendor.’ While embracing lic services in a “self-serve” capacity or communes. This would allow
all which is categorically reminiscent online or using mobile phone ap- farmers to access advanced farming
of the true nature of the African plications. A public-records agency methods, agricultural technologies,
spirit, the base concept of Afri- need only collect digital records of farming implements and machinery
canism is to value and appreciate citizens and make them accessible to boost productivity and reduce
anything that bears the tag-line via a user-friendly mobile appli- top-soil erosion and deforestation.
‘African.’ cation. Entrepreneurs could also
tap into this “big data” and create The general principle is not to
Among challenges that African revenue-generating opportunities build barriers to entry but to push
countries need to address is the lack through mobile applications that informal-sector enterprises to merge
of strong, independent judiciaries. It can inform users on a wide range of or partner up to guarantee longevity
may seem unrelated but in matters subjects. and stable employment opportu-
of investment and movement of nities and collectively eradicate the
capital, contracts are extremely In transport, new regulations would elephants ravaging Africa’s sustain-
significant, as are the mechanisms require operators to have insurance ability. Overall, governments ought
that enforce them. It is impossible and up-to-date maintenance records to only invest in targeted infrastruc-
to generate sustainable econom- for all vehicles. Drivers would need ture development. Ownership and
ic growth and prowess without licenses and to register as commer- control of the new marketplaces
the rule of law – a key factor that cial operators with the authorities. and transportation hubs will be left
affects foreign direct investment in- Operators who fail to do so would to local authorities to turn them into
flows. Global FDI flows amounted not have access to newly built trans- revenue-generating opportunities.
to $1.43 trillion in 2017 but Africa port hubs run by local governments
received only 3 percent of that. or city councils. These local author-
ities would sell slots to operators
Effective judiciaries will also be vital

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