Africa Under the Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

The chapter stresses that Africa requires a clear position of how “leapfrogging” into the FOIR should be informed by clear and unambiguous policy goals and strategies so that a sustainable development route is created. Political will, global connectivity, and straightforward pathways are fused in the menu. Africa is neither a monolithic nor a homogenous space where events and developments happen in a linear pattern. The traditional perspective about Africa perceives the region as motley of so many variations and controversies – spatial, temporal, gender, racial, and ideological. This is evident from the fact that Africa has portions of its economy that are pre-modern, modern, and post-modern. The “resource curse” phenomenon seems to hold water in both debate and practice in some circles. Countries and states should avoid falling into the proverbial trap of unequal exchange in form of transacting the natural endowments that Africa is known for.