Water
World Economic Forum Africa 2017
Leadership and inclusive growth take centre stage
Africa ’ s drive to generate inclusive economic growth and the leadership this requires is the focus of the 27th World Economic Forum ( WEF ) on Africa , that began on Wednesday in Durban , South Africa , and ends on Friday .
The forum convened over 1000 leaders from more than 100 countries , representing business , government , academia , civil society , the media and the arts .
This year ’ s forum is themed “ Achieving Inclusive Growth through Responsive and Responsible Leadership ”.
HOST CITY : Durban is hosting the 27th World Economic Forum on Africa , which ends on Friday . Picture : REUTERS
The WEF said Africa ’ s imperative was to generate truly inclusive economic growth that “ provides everyone with the same opportunity to prosper and achieve ”. It said the meeting aimed to move leaders to change the way they approached development planning by designing policies that allowed everyone to benefit from economic growth .
“ Until now , the benefits of global economic growth have been disproportionately distributed within regions and countries , which has led to a crisis for market capitalism and a proliferation of populist and nativist political movements ,” the forum said .
The other priority was to help Africa prepare for the huge changes the world was about to experience as a result of the Fourth Industrial Revolution .
“ Rapid technological advances in the physical , digital and biological worlds are giving rise to a new era that will have a profound effect on how humans live , work and interact with one another ,” the WEF said .
“ Building the right institutions , developing relevant skills and enhancing access to knowledge will all be crucial to Africa ’ s future prospects .”
Among the key issues which came under the spotlight in Durban were food and water security ; preventing the deforestation of tropical forests ; securing investment to tackle Africa ’ s large infrastructure gap ; bridging the digital divide ; improving delivery of health care ; helping Africans gain access to financial services ; and facilitating better intra-regional trade .
Water
How Africa can cope with increasing demands for water
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Demand for water for human consumption is growing , but also the demand for water to meet the growing demand for food and energy . Image : REUTERS / Finbarr O ’ Reilly ( GHANA
Africa ’ s population is growing fast . Very fast . Sub-Saharan Africa is currently home to more than 1.2 billion people , and it is estimated that another 1 billion will be added by 2050 . Economic and political instability , climate change and o verall decline of employment in agriculture has accelerated urban migration . In 2016 , almost 40 percent of the population in this region was living in cities compared to 31 percent in 2000 .
During the same time period , economic growth has picked up and between 2000 and 2015 , GDP per capita increased from US $ 1,176 to US $ 1,660 — more than 40 percent .
Hence , demand for water for human consumption is growing , but also the demand for water to meet the growing demand for food and energy . But African water providers are not ready . Access to piped water increased in absolute number from 82 million