The following was written by ASFL Local Coordinator Babajide Oluwase

When we are discussing about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and its impact in Africa today, we are often carried away by investment figures committed, rather than the most important resource involved – Africans.
Africa’s greatest asset is its people. If Africa is to ever jump-start its development to be on par with other developed continents, it will have to significantly invest in its own people. In consequence, there can be no effective investment in Africa’s future without equipping the people that will contribute to her overall advancement.
Following the recent news circulating in the media on the issue of migration, one will get so worried about the influx of sea-borne migrants from Africa. People risking their lives on the Mediterranean Sea, all in the name of seeking for a better life in Europe, that is not even guaranteed. The remedy to this occurrence is not far-fetched; African governments simply have to make Africa more attractive to Africans.

While migration is an indispensable part of human life, it raises an alarm especially when it is triggered by human factors that make lives unbearable and marked by political repression. African leaders must be bothered about waning confidence of the citizens in their region, and should endeavor to device strategies to rebuild this confidence. This should be an impetus for serious action, as it will help mitigate uncontrolled movements of people from Africa to other parts of the world.
The push factors that make Africans risk their lives unnecessarily must be addressed as a matter of urgency. One place to begin is to unlock the immense potentials inherent in the continent; invest in the people to tap these abundant resources. This will in turn improve their living standard as opposed to treating the citizens on mere statistics. Unfortunately, African countries only experience growth and advancement in statistics much more than in reality. A typical example of this phenomenon is evident in the case of Nigeria; the most populous black nation in the world and ‘acclaimed’ largest economy in Africa (based on rebased figures announced in April, 2014). Yet, the country accounts for a third of the estimated number of children of primary school age that are not attending school in Sub-Saharan Africa according to a recent UNICEF report.
Going by the latest United Nations population projection, Africa will have two billion people by 2040, with the share of 12 – 24 year old growing from 18% – 28%. The increment in size of this age group in Africa will be parallel to a diminution in the same age group in other continents of the world. Thus, rapid growth of the labour force is expected, and it is likely to pose serious development challenges and at the same time, opportunities. To move an impressive step further as a continent, we must provide answer to this question; how should Africa best prepare in order to significantly benefit from a possible demographic boom in coming generation?

Personally, I feel The African Institute for Development’s policy has done justice to this salient question; for Africa to harness the dividend of our opportunities, government and other stakeholders must ensure universal access to quality education programmes focused on developing innovative and economic skills of the people, at all levels of our education system. This is what I consider as the multi-focused lever that can be employed to drive Africa forward. Note that, attaining the demographic dividend is not an overnight process. It is something you build now and reap the benefits later. It is a function of time and action.
Investing in people is imperative, because people make investment happen anywhere around the world. If we don’t invest in Africans as much as we invest in Africa, there is possibility of persistent inequalities that has crept deep into the system and still inhibiting Africans from having the opportunity to effectively thrive within their region. And in the cause of investing in Africans, it directly poses a multiplier effect on our economy and as well promote the ‘Taker – Giver Syndrome’ in the system.
My million-dollar advice to Africans; Africa should simply not accept foreign investment that doesn’t invest in her people, as investing in Africans as well as Africa make it a win-win for all.