African Paysan Prosperity in the Connectivity Age:

Can Kenya be like Singapore, whose geography positions her as the gateway to Asian markets? Must Ghana strive to imitate Japan while tolerating the “silent killer” of chronic air pollution that causes 16,000-30,000 premature deaths every year? Do African forests, savannahs and wetlands need to give way to plantation pine, GMO crops and tilapia ponds in order to fuel economic growth and prosperity?

The Green Continent still contains vast, unspoiled ecoregions with amazing biodiversity. These ecoregions support the livelihoods of local, indigenous communities. Her people have evolved intricate bodies of traditional wisdom – a fulfilling life gazes at the stars and stir the seas.

Africa enters the second quarter of the 21^st century with huge advantages. Her population is ~60% under age 25; her collage of ecoregions is ~39% unspoiled; her smartphone adoption rate will reach ~50% by 2028. These “pluses” can catapult her over the industrialization phase that has enriched developed countries at the price of poisoned landscapes and social inequity. Africa can weave together humanity and nature, tradition and modernity, creating a colorful and unique kente cloth of sustainable development. Let’s join together as a global community to help her reach that goal.

Constance Elizabeth Hunt is a conservationist whose career has included positions with the U.S. government, National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund/World Wide Fund for Nature and UNEP, as well as temporary assignments with humanitarian organizations such as Oxfam and ZOA International. She is currently living in Kenya and directing a non-profit organization called the Kenya Water, ENergy, Cleanliness and Health (KWENCH) Project. KWENCH implements sustainable development approaches that support ecosystem conservation/restoration and community livelihoods in rural East Africa. Her work has taken her to 30 countries, 5 of which she has lived in, including her native U.S. The focus of her career has been on balancing development approaches with conservation of species and ecosystems in ways that protect the rights and resources of local and indigenous people. The daughter of Chicago journalists, she has published three previous books on cutting-edge approaches to natural resources management. Her degrees include a Bachelor of Science, cum laude in Wildlife Biology from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts with Honors in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.