Bissau-Guinean economist Carlos Lopes argues that Africa is undergoing a transformation ignored by many international analyses, marked by sustained economic growth, greater investment dynamism, and an increasing weight in world trade.
He explains that several African countries are leading global expansion forecasts, while the continent is outpacing other regions in growth rate, a fact that, in his opinion, receives little media attention.
Lopes challenges the notion that population growth is a threat, arguing that African youth drive consumption, technological adoption, and new market opportunities. He believes this factor will be key to the global economy.
Even so, he regrets that stereotypical views persist that associate Africa almost exclusively with conflict, poverty or instability, while structural advances are treated as isolated cases or exceptions without systemic relevance.
The economist links these perceptions to historical inertia and an unequal relationship with the West, where, he says, a logic of tutelage still predominates that prioritizes aid and security over productive transformation.
In their analysis, many international policies have reinforced economies dependent on raw materials, prolonging a model inherited from colonization that limits industrialization and local added value.
It also criticizes the fact that large financial institutions use criteria focused on external stability and markets, without giving equal weight to social indicators such as health or education when assessing debt sustainability.
In the political arena, he distinguishes between leaders who manage incomes without profound changes and others who promote structural reforms, and proposes rethinking democracy from African realities instead of automatically applying external models.
Full interview HERE.
Source: mundonegro.es