Africa could be free of dependence on aid within a generation, according to Tony Blair, who is calling for a radical shift in the way the continent is viewed.
Writing in The Times today, the former Prime Minister says that he wants to see “outdated images” of poverty and corruption replaced by a picture of booming economies that are leapfrogging the growth of East Asia.
The comments come as Morgan Tsvangirai, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, urges foreign investors to take a fresh look at his troubled country. Both leaders will address The Times CEO Summit Africa in London today. Mr Tsvangirai, who was denied victory over Robert Mugabe in the 2008 presidential election, says in a separate interview in the newspaper: “Zimbabwe can’t afford isolation and continued vilification. Above all we don’t want to be treated like a pariah.”
Mr Blair writes that six of the world’s ten fastest growing countries over the past decade are African. The continent is now moving at a “dizzying pace” and attitudes must keep up with that. He looks forward to a day when he can open a newspaper and read about African entrepreneurs creating jobs, researchers developing technologies and elections being run smoothly.
Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive of Save the Children, said Mr Blair was right to say that people should be “inspired” by the large strides of progress that Africa has made in two decades. But the answer was not just good governance and investment, as Mr Blair calls for, but also in education and saving children’s lives. “A healthy and educated Africa is critical to its future success,” he added.