Page 51 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 23
P. 51
Economy
“Africa is one continent, one people,
and one nation. The notion that in
order to have a nation it is necessary
for there to be a common language,
PD Lawton a common territory and common
PD Lawton is a writer and researcher of culture has failed to stand the test
African affairs , born in KwaZulu Natal, of time or the scrutiny of scientific
South Africa. definition of objective reality. The
pdlawton0@gmail.com community of economic life is the
She is the editor of major feature within a nation, and it
https://africanagenda.net/
is the economy which holds together
the people living in a territory. It is
on this basis that the new Africans
recognise themselves as potentially
known as mineral beneficiation. one nation, whose dominion is the
entire African continent” –
The African Free Trade Kwame Nkrumah
Agreement inaugurated
in January 2021,remains
theoretical without operational productive employment, to of transportation before the
SEZs in every region and raise the standard of living outbreak of Covid was US$
connected by modernized high to give opportunity to human 3,200 per truck. Transport by
tech integrated infrastructure creativity within a prosperous rail will dramatically reduce
as epitomized by the African and peaceful environment. transport time and cost by 40%.
Integrated High Speed Railway Each freight train will be able
Network which has been Modernized, high speed to transport 10,000 tonnes,
designed to connect economic rail infrastructure is the equivalent to 500 lorry-loads.
corridors across the continent game changer for trade. The
by high speed electrified qualitative changes it will bring Ghana`s first president and
railway.
are obvious. For example Isaka Africa`s greatest visionary
is a dry inland port in Tanzania leader, Kwame Nkrumah, once
Underpinning all of this is along the highway that connects said:
abundant, cheap electricity, Mombasa in Kenya to Dar Es
the backbone of any economy. Salaam via Mwanza. It is a “Africa is one continent, one
Electricity is needed to mine customs point and cargo holding people, and one nation. The
the ore, to produce the steel to area that serves goods transport notion that in order to have a
construct the rail lines, to power from Rwanda, Burundi and nation it is necessary for there
the trains, to can the agricultural DRC. At present it takes trucks to be a common language, a
products, to produce the glass, to 6 to 7 days to get from Dar common territory and common
bottle the fruit juice, to provide
Es Salaam to Kigali. The cost culture has failed to stand the
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