- Morocco became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.
- The smooth transition of power in Kenya and Lesotho set an example of democracy.
- The African Free Trade Agreement got off to a promising start.
As the year 2022 draws to a close, it was not all gloom in Africa as there were many positive developments across the continent.
Some of them covered by News24 sought to break longstanding stereotypes that Africa was a dark continent scarred by civil war, disease, political instability, blatant corruption, famine and lawlessness.
Fresh in the minds of the people was Morocco’s achievement in the soccer World Cup as the fourth best team in the tournament.
It was the first time an African country had gone this far, despite some of its best football talents in the diaspora playing for 14 non-African states.
Germany, France, Qatar, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal are the five teams that had the most talent of African origin.
Politically, one of the most notable achievements was the fulfillment of part of the “silence the guns” agenda of the African Union (AU), which seeks to create a peaceful continent by 2063.
The civil war in Ethiopia’s Tigray was a good example.
Widely viewed as the biggest war in the world, bigger than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the AU ceasefire agreement signed in Pretoria in November was timely.
The signatories are now implementing the established roadmap.
The restoration of social services in Tigray, as well as access to relief aid, is ongoing, but with minor setbacks.
Kenya and Lesotho experienced a smooth transition of power without political violence.
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In the case of Kenya, the elections had a lot at stake, considering that one of the candidates, the political officer Raila Odinga, has been involved in elections with violent results in the past.
It should also be noted that the eventual winner William Ruto, between 2011 and 2013, was indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity: murder, deportation or forced transfer of population, and persecution.
With two candidates likely to explode, violence has not materialized, and outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a leadership role as a statesman across Africa.
His role in the cessation of hostilities in Ethiopia and the efforts to achieve peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the good of the East African Community could be a good example for other future former presidents.
In Lesotho, the victory of arguably the kingdom’s richest man, Sam Matekane, drew international admiration.
Since 2010, Lesotho had been the capital of coups and instability in southern Africa.
Matekane has vowed to press ahead with electoral reforms prescribed by the Southern African Development Community to avoid a future political crisis.
In total, this year elections were held in 13 African countries, from local to presidential ballots.
Democracy remains the preferred option of government in Africa, despite the dark mark left by coups.
According to Afrobarometer “seven out of 10 Africans [69%] say that democracy is preferable to any other type of government.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is finally taking shape.
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It is an agreement that promotes broader and deeper economic cooperation, and aims to attract investment, boost trade, create better jobs, reduce poverty and increase shared prosperity in Africa.
In 2022, under AfCTA, Kenya exported car batteries and tea.
Rwandan coffee beans found their way to West African markets.
The AfCTA is the largest free trade agreement in the world with 54 signatories (all African).
But the Covid-19 had stopped its development.
The policy failure of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act ending in 2025 presents AfCTA with another window of growth.
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For example, if intra-African food trade and production were to prove successful, as envisioned in the AfCTA, the billions of dollars spent buying food outside of Africa could be reinvested in agro-processing businesses.
African countries spoke with one voice on most world issues.
At COP27 in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, African leaders called for an end to “climate injustice” because the continent contributed less than 4% of global carbon emissions but pays one of the highest prices. for the global warming.
“The time has come for us Africans to take our destiny into our own hands,” Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon, said at the Africa Climate Week ahead of COP27.
There was much more good to come from Africa, but the memories mentioned above were exceptional.
News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained in this document do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
