Ethiopian News Agency
The future of Africa will be significantly influenced by four key megatrends and regional dynamics, namely climate change, demographic shifts, rapid urbanization, and digital transformation, that are shaping the global economy, ECA Deputy Executive Secretary Hanan Morsy said.
The fifth session of the Committee on Social Policy, Poverty and Gender (CSPPG) kicked off today.
In her opening remark, the deputy executive secretary said Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change that has resulted in extreme weather patterns.
“Over the past 50 years, drought-related hazards have claimed the lives of over half a million people in Africa and caused economic losses exceeding 70 billion USD,” Morsy noted, adding that by 2030 up to 118 million extremely poor Africans could be exposed to drought, floods, and extreme weather.”
She further pointed out that only 33 percent of the population in Africa were internet users in 2021, leaving 871 million people not realizing digital dividends.
“Africa is the least connected continent,” the deputy executive secretary said.
According to her, 6 in ten people in Africa will live in urban areas by 2050 and “this necessitates the need for additional or supplementary public services to support those who are less self-sufficient.”
Given its high fertility rates, Africa will provide more than half of the world’s population growth between 2022 and 2050 while more than half of the population of Africa will be below the age of 25 by 2050, projections show.
“The region will thus have a large working-aged population that can help to support the ageing population in the rest of the world,” Morsy stated.
Speaking about the effectiveness of education in building new social contracts, she pointed out that “affordability, accessibility, and applicability are key considerations that can make education policies more efficient, equitable, and inclusive, addressing the structural barriers posed by poverty and inequality.”
Education can be made more affordable by providing subsidies and cash transfers that can alleviate the financial burden on the poor, according to the deputy executive secretary.
The Committee on Social Policy, Poverty and Gender (CSPPG), which comprises experts from members of ECA, ministries responsible for gender, social development, urbanization and economic planning, has elected Ghana as the incoming chair.
