By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA
Accra, July 31, GNA – Mr Ralph Mupita, MTN Group President and CEO, says Africa’s long-term prosperity will depend less on how the continent responds to issues of migration and more on how it expands economic opportunity.
It would also dependon how the continent strengthened regional integration and enabled more people to participate meaningfully in activities of regional development.
Mr Mupita made these remarks during the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (KMF) Winter Seminar in Accra on Wednesday, where leaders from government, business, the diplomatic corps, academia and civil society gathered to examine the relationship between migration, development and Africa’s future.
“The future of Africa will not be determined by the borders that separate us, but by the economic opportunities that connect us,” he said.
The President said governments must set predictable policies and regulations for businesses to follow and allocate the necessary resources and capital for their growth.
“Together, we can build a continent where opportunity is more evenly shared and prosperity is more widely created,” he added.
Mr Mupita said migration should not be viewed in isolation from the broader economic conditions shaping people’s lives and economic progress.
“If our discussion ends with the language of crisis around migration, we will have treated the symptom and missed the deeper challenge. People move because opportunity is unevenly distributed,” he noted.
He said the defining question was whether Africa could build economies in which mobility was matched by opportunity.
He argued that Africa’s demographic advantage would only become an economic advantage if countries invested in the conditions that allowed people to participate productively.
These included skills, infrastructure, finance, markets and institutions.
“MTN was born in South Africa and has grown alongside the continent. Our prosperity is inseparable from Africa’s prosperity,” Mr Mupita said.
He said the Digital infrastructure and services had become increasingly important enablers of economic participation.
“They connect people to each other, but also to education, entrepreneurship, financial and public services, and to markets,” he said.
“This is why MTN continues to support platforms that encourage thoughtful, evidence-based dialogue on issues that shape Africa’s future.”
“MTN believes that Africa’s strength lies in its connectivity not only through networks, but through people, ideas and shared identity. This initiative is about
building bridges, not borders.”
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Morkporkpor Anku
[email protected]