Who are Africa’s Action Heroes of the Soil?
For most people, the notion of a hero conjures up images of brave individuals risking their lives for others or "superheroes" from comic books or films armed with supernatural powers.
But what Africa needs, each and every day, are heroes of a different sort: "action heroes" with ideas and vision, ready to respond to the challenges that could determine the fate of a continent with a land mass larger than the US, western Europe, China and India combined. This is land with a lot of potential.
Africa’s challenges are well known: a devastating drought in eastern and southern Africa; plummeting oil prices undermining growth in exporting countries.
Chronic hunger still plagues one-third of our people, with deep poverty trapping almost half the families on the continent in dire hardship. There’s an urgent need for employment prospects for the 200-million people between the ages of 15 and 24 who make Africa the world’s most youthful continent.
Fabien Artus