T
he phrase ‘Africa Rising’ gained
traction in the second decade
of the 21st Century. This
term has been used loosely by
many to describe the apparent economic
upsurge of some African economies in the
period 2000-2016. This period has been
variously described as an epoch of socio-
political and economic growth creating an
emerging middle class.
During this period, some Nations like
Angola recorded double digit economic
growth spurred by the oil boom. In other
countries, the period was characterized by
a consistent +7% economic growth. This
in turn spurred conspicuous display of
nascent consumerism in those countries.
Without necessarily looking at the overall
volume or size of African economies we
know that it grew by 50% between 2005
and 2015. This was great growth compared
with 23% for the rest of the world.
In the recent past, we have had robust
debates around the presence and
sustainability of a Middle Class in Africa.
Some commentators have claimed that
the number of African’s in the middle
class could be as high as 400 million or a
paltry 18 million. The latter is considered
commercially unattractive to most
corporates. The shifting definitions point
to the transient and fleeting nature of the
African middle class. The Western view
has shaped our discourse.
In 2015 the then president of the USA
Barrack Obama opined that ‘a middle
class is emerging in Africa and this class
will consume items like the iPhone’. The
description of the middle class here is very
American or Eurocentric.
To some pure sociologist it is a blatant
travesty for Market Researchers to try
and define a middle class vis-à-vis the
overall poverty in Africa. Such studies
have been dismissed as inappropriate and
superficial driven by marketers to induce
consumerism in Africa
Who is the middle class? My erstwhile
colleague
Dr
Jason
Musyoka
a
development Economist at the University
of Pretoria, quixotically concludes that
‘the definition of the Middle class is an
unfinished business’. In an Interview with
eNCA News early September 2017’ he
avers that the definition conflates around
affordability of some items beyond the
necessities. The essence of his definition is
disposable income net of basic needs.
Why is there a confusion in
defining the Middle Class in
Africa?
Our research has attributed this state to
2 main factors. Firstly, the confusion can
be attributed to lack of credible data on
the middle class across the region. Indeed,
most stakeholders have cited the dearth
of credible data in all spheres of interest
in Africa. Where the incumbent statutory
data collecting bodies are available, issues
of frequency, timeliness, methodology
and access of data arise. The confusion is
ameliorated where the government deny
stakeholders this data for many reasons
the most ludicrous being national security.
Restricted access is very prevalent across
the continent.
On the other hand, are the infinite
definitions that have been used to
describe this group. Like we are wont to
do; pundits have tried in vain to conflate
the meaning of the phrase middle-class.
This has simply added fuel to the fire of
confusion
Operating Definitions - No
conflation
The Africa Development Bank definition
pegs a dollar amount to the definition of
the middle class. The Africa Development
Bank states that about 60% of Africa lives
below the poverty line which they have
marked at between $2 and $20 a day.
Going by the AFDB data, only 6% of
the total African population is affluent,
the majority are poor and about 34% of
the African population are in the middle
class.