Globalization in Africa

Globalization in Africa

            Globalization is the integration of economies worldwide through trade, financial flow, exchange of technology, and movement of people. It has become a major discussion topic in terms of economic growth over the last two decades. The trends are mainly towards integrated world markets, which has opened the potential for increased growth and presenting significant opportunities for developing countries to improve their living standards. However, when it comes to the globalization, not much is said about Africa, it is often singled out even though it is the second-largest continent. Studies that talks of the new global world have much to say about the emerging industrialized nations of Asia like the manufacturing expansion in e china. African is ignored because it has been at the margins of the world economy for much of the post-independent era. Globalization is equated with international trade liberalization, which is heightened in western nations and limited in Africa.  Nevertheless, African is fully part of the globalized world, depending on how the cultural, governance, and capital flow in the continent are perceived.

Globalization is more about the intensification of global social interaction that links distance localities in manners that local activities are shaped by events happening miles away. Africa is considered as one of the least integrated regions globally and often portrayed with negativity. However, it is a real global economy with full-scale activities, even though it is identified as failing and drowning in poverty. Often it is labeled as a global ghetto because of reduced capitalism.

To some individuals, is it a black hole of society. This notion has spread in people’s minds across the globe, including African themselves, in terms of political social and economic decisions. Ferguson writes, “western anthropologists have sometimes too easily sidestepped the harder discussion about the economic inequality…[making] equality a mere ideal” (34). It means it is perceived as a continent of wasted lives, which is not useful when it comes to classifying the capitalist world economy since its poor.  However, in defining what encompasses cultural globalization in the region, what matters is defining the concept of modernity. To ensure the term covers African, then there is the need to find alternatives that do not focus on western culture. Africa is always defined as a primitive or traditional continent when comparing it with western worlds. It is viewed from the perspective of historic tradition instead of part of the modern world (Ferguson 32). Therefore it fails to consider the set of their contemporary practices that respond to modern forces like money, class formation, and the locality. The traditions are part of African culture, and it influences the global economy. Thus Africa is as modern as any place only that it has with its own alternative way of life.

The advancement in technology, communication, and transport medium has also been growing. Such development brings people together in economic, communication, and transport channels.  The same way different culture across the globe is transmitted to Africa at an amazing speed. Cultural homogenization is a product of globalization. It explains the transformation in African as it is evolving towards the globalized world. However, the western world fails to acknowledge it. Ferguson writes, “No survey of world music…would be conceivable without a major section on Africa, yet it is common for surveys of the global economy to contain the most cursory reference to Sub-Saharan Africa” (34). This means Africa is perceived as weak when it comes to globalization. However, they place efforts done through trade, social interactions, and free movement of people across territorial borders. In African, a large population of people lives in urban areas. The significance can be based on the shift in culture, especially among the youth. Moving to the cities has its advantages in the position of a globalized continent. There is an increase in inventions that result in the exchange of ideas and cultural way of life, which though it is limited to a specific region, the transformation has a specification that qualifies it on the globalization scale.

Most people use the westernized views of modernity when considering characteristics that make a nation modern. However, when it comes to Africa it this has to be redefined to include it as a globalized region. The world is composed of many cultures; thus, it is essential to consider the ideas of alternative modernities. The fact that Africa is unappreciated because it lags in development is what classifies it as outside globalization. When looking at Africa’s economic modernization, it is behind in many aspects of life. For instance, there is under-development in terms of technology and industries. Ferguson writes, “the unappreciated danger that a culturalized and relativized notion of modernity tends to allow the material and social inequalities… to drop out of the picture”(34). By treating Africa people as equal in cultural aspects, it makes inequality prominent. Many of the post-World War II development theorists argued that all the capital that flows to the poorest countries like Africa and the investment would eventually converge with that of industrialized countries. However, up to now, of the 800 million people, almost half of them live in less than one dollar in a day, meaning they live in extreme poverty. The flow of capital, both the direct capital and direct foreign investment, impact the outcome. The capital flows to Africa is unique since it is a land full of minerals resource extractions and depend mostly on agriculture. Mining and oil extraction has increased in various countries. Even though towns are developing in mining sites resulting in the development, it has little impact on the wider community since none of such money touches the African countries (Ferguson 37). Thus theorists were wrong as still poor countries in Africa attract less investment. Currently, the classification only covers concentrated market segments and in major developmental projects. The definition of globalization has to include the complexities in the flow of capital for Africa to fit in the globalization world.

The foreign markets focus more on the output from abundant resources like minerals and ignore and fail to convert it as an important economic output. By looking at this aspect Africa fits in the globalization but only when viewed from a different perspective. It is globalized because capital flows to the rest of the world that depends on these resources the same way capital flows to Africa. This is because of the interlinking between African countries. The African region has been making strides in keeping with changes. An example is Zimbabwe, where Jones writes, “since the black market collapsed, people have had go to even greater lengths to meet their daily needs” (298). This means Africa is a moving economy that may be limited but still functioning. It is worth noting that globalization encourages deterritorialization, and Africa is one of the continents that allows easy movement of people across boundaries. The result is the ease of business growth and cultural exchange among the people. Even though the economic growth rate is weak, the region’s economic performance is improving as they shift toward globalization in terms of trade and technological advancement. The change in regulations that favor business has attracted various industries to the region of Africa. These factors include the availability of markets, mostly targeting the cheap labor, infrastructural development, and availability of raw materials. Thus in defining Africa in terms of globalization, the effort they put towards economic growth should be factored in.

Governance determines the definition of globalization when it comes to peace and economic stability. It plays a significant role through decision making, implementation of policies, and control of critical resources. Most African countries are democratic, but few countries have experienced a smooth transition. Many others have suffered under the ‘democratic system ‘due to power struggles and high levels of corruption. Furguson notes that poor governance has led to instability in countries like Nigeria and Congo. They would have been economic giants of the continent due to the vast resources available in their country. However, they are languishing in poverty and chaos, which makes them unstable. Nevertheless, they continue to grow. Ferguson gives an example of Angola: “during the war-torn 1980s [it] boasted one of the better GDP growth rates on the continent” (41). Despite the chaos, business activities continue within their boundaries. Investors from other countries still capitalize on them and establish premised even with the risks involved. Therefore countries can be defined in their globalization scale if they are peaceful. With poor governance out of the picture, the interconnectedness seen at the local level has the potential to shift to the international market.

Making globalization inclusive means the development of a new perspective on how countries operate. It is about looking at how to handle the inequality within the advance nations and understanding the convergence of living standards between African and developed countries. It requires looking beyond the perfect regional integration, labor skill, and digital infrastructure. Africa is playing a critical role in the development of the world because of its resources, population, professionals, and consistently growing economy despite leadership challenges that are inhibiting steps made. It’s also prudent to note the disparity between economies in the region and the political advancement in order to erase darkness in the description of Africa when it comes to globalization.

Work cited

Ferguson, James. “Globalizing Africa? Observations from an Inconvenient Continent.” Global Shadows: Africa in the Neoliberal World Order, Durham: Duke University Press, 2006, pp. 25-49.

Jones, Jeremy L. “‘Nothing Is Straight In Zimbabwe’: The Rise of The kukiya-Kiya economy 2000–2008”. Journal of Southern African Studies, vol 36, no. 2, 2010, pp. 285-299. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/03057070.2010.485784.