#15 Africa First - Turning potential into prosperity

I spoke with Jakkie Cilliers from the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) team at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria. We discussed Jakkie’s new book, Africa First! Igniting a Growth Revolution. The discussion covered the key developmental challenges facing Africa and the International Futures (IFs) forecasting platform that was used to model scenarios on how the continent can ignite a growth revolution. We also touched on Africa’s Current Path - the likely development trajectory assuming current policies continue going forward, the key scenario insights policy makers should adopt to shift to prosperity, the impact of COVID-19 and AFI’s ongoing research that builds on the work done for Africa First. Dr Jakkie Cilliers is the Chairman of the ISS Board of Trustees and Head of the African Futures and Innovation team in Pretoria. Jakkie co-founded the ISS in 1990 and was the executive director until 2015. He is an Extraordinary Professor in the Centre of Human Rights and the Department of Political Sciences, Faculty Humanities at the University of Pretoria.  His 2017 book on the future of South Africa Fate of the Nation – 3 scenarios for South Africa’s future was on the best seller list for several months. His most recent book (March 2020) is Africa First! Igniting a Growth Revolution.  He has a DLitt et Phil from the University of South Africa. Further reading: Jakkie’s book: Africa First! - https://www.jakkiecilliers.org/africa-first?gclid=CjwKCAjwps75BRAcEiwAEiACMVTLhdzpwfeLSbgjBPDPuPQvgyLYiezW9_kRI2Tv0XDw32lzl_aGyBoCSeoQAvD_BwE Pardee Center for International Futures - https://pardee.du.edu/