QU discussion on ‘The Gulf and Africa’

Qatar University (QU) held a roundtable discussion on “The Gulf and Africa” aimed to provide an overview on the growth prospects in Africa and to address the Africa-Gulf relations.Attendees included QU officials, faculty, and students.Former South African finance minister Pravin Gordhan pointed to the great role played by Qatar at the international level and its distinguished relations with African countries, and the possibility of its involvement in the development of economic and trade relations between these countries and the region.He also addressed the democratic, economic and social development of the African continent since the 1980s until the 21st century.Gordhan highlighted the impact of globalisation on the continent in general and the middle and working classes in particular.University of Cape Town professor of economics Dr Haroon Bhorat addressed the recent growth record in Africa since the “lost decades” (1980s and 1990s) until the 2000s when the situation changed.He referred to the a Economist article on the “fastest growing economies in the world: 2001-2010” that listed the 10 fastest-growing countries in the world, among which six countries were African with Angola on top.Bhorat also stressed the importance of manufacturing and low-wage manufacturing to ensure sustainable growth in Africa, and the necessity of building economic complexity and capabilities to pursue economic development.He added: “Africa is witnessing a massive development in investment such as the rail, ports, telecommunications, and roads.“However, the continent is still lagging behind the rest of the world, and these investments are subject to numerous border disputes requiring regional co-operation.”