WEF should spur policy innovations that drive equitable growth

“What I quickly discovered is that our so-called new South Africa has as much material for a story-teller as the old one. The landscape hasn’t really changed. Who is in power now is different to who was in power then, but the squatter camps grow like cancer, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer” – Athol Fugard

This quote echoes this year’s theme at the World Economic Forum (WEF) taking place in Durban, South Africa. The theme is – Achieving Inclusive Growth through responsive and responsible leadership.

The forum is taking place at a moment when the African continent is more optimistic about herself, she is experiencing a renaissance and attracting growing international interest. The continent boasts a growing middle class, a slow but positive economic growth as projected by the World Bank and IMF, infrastructural improvements driven by increased foreign investment, growing digital opportunities and, a youth bulge amongst others.

In view of the foregoing, we also know that the continent is struggling with numerous governance and leadership challenges that threaten the realization of inclusive growth. There are also potential political and social upheavals due to rising unemployment and inequality; governance and political crises that disrupt trade and businesses which, in turn, risk undermining growth prospects while raising countries’ risk profiles.

Africa is one of the most unequal continents in the world. As the world’s clock is ticking in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we must act urgently to meet the commitment to “leave no one behind,” there must be intentional and innovative efforts to address exclusion and discrimination at all levels.

Some recent successes worthy of note include, the President of Malawi ascenting to the Constitutional amendments raising the legal age of a child from 16 to 18 and the age of marriage to 18 years for both boys and girls just last month.

The President of Zambia, besides championing an end to child marriage, has also called for meaningful child participation in public policy processes in Zambia.

It is also notable that some governments on the continent, such as Kenya, have established social protection mechanisms to support vulnerable and poor households. While these instances may not lead to immediate change, if properly resourced, implemented and sustained, they constitute significant building blocks for inclusive growth and would significantly alter the landscape.

Achieving inclusive growth is a distant aspiration if we do not yield to the need to eliminate exclusion and discrimination at the community and national levels. As per the words of Fugard, the landscape will not change if;

 62 million girls are out of school globally and families prioritize boys’ education over girls,

 more than 700 million women in the world today are married before their 18th birthday with one in three among them being married before the age of15 – child marriage triggers a cycle of disadvantage across every part of a girl’s life,

 if the vulnerable and marginalized in the community lack a voice and do not engage in public decision making and;

 if communities continue to be ravaged by more frequent and severe humanitarian situations (drought and conflicts). As we gather here in Durban today, over 17 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya are experiencing crisis or emergency food insecurity and are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

Hunger is breaking into the immune system of thousands of children; for them it’s a race against time – a reality the world is slowly waking up to. Also in South Sudan, more than 1.3 million people have been internally displaced since the violence broke out in 2013 and nearly 1.3 million have escaped to neighboring countries.

It is for the above reasons that I strongly ask the heads of state and private sector leaders meeting in Durban to look at innovative policy frameworks that can spur inclusive growth and reduce inequalities.

– By By David Wright, Regional Director for Save the Children in East and Southern Africa