By 2050, a quarter of the world's population will be young Africans. If African nations enforce strong labor protections and people invest in their own skills, this demographic shift becomes an economic advantage over aging Europe. The guest spent seven years in Singapore and credits its youth-focused development model for its success.
You believe that by 2050, 1 out of 4 people you see on Earth will be Black?
Yes, African.
African.
African.
Not just Black.
And young, young African. By 2050, by 2050, um, a quarter of the population of the world will be African youth. Do you think that equates to strength or an opportunity? Great opportunity. We have the opportunity to control the global workforce. Cheap labor doesn't have to be. We will be in demand.
Africans will be in demand if Africa gets to put regulations, African leaders gets to put labor regulations in place that protect Africans wherever they are, whether Asia, Europe, or America. Yes, I think maybe that's only when we might maximize that number.
Yes, but we also have a dwindling youth population in Europe, and so if the African youth can, can look into the future and say, ha, in 10 years, in 15 years, what I can specialize in may not be found in Europe. There may not be any young person that can do what I can do. True. You will be given value for the value that you have placed on yourself. And so yes, there is the governmental side of things where our leaders obviously need us, need to put us in a good light, but there is also truth in individuals preparing themselves for the future, and it could be as early as 2030.
What's our biggest opportunity right now?
Our biggest opportunity is, is again our young and thriving youth population. We have the youngest, we have the youngest, uh, we're the continent with, with the youngest youth population, you know. But Asia is enjoying that at the moment, and Singapore, um, you know, use their youth population to get to where they are. Singapore, yes. And, you know, I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Africa can do it.
Do you think democracy is working for Africa?
No, no.
Is this something you could talk about? You read about Lee Kuan Yew?
Read about Lee Kuan Yew. I have experienced, lived and experienced Singapore for 7 years.
How was it?
It was amazing. It was amazing. When you live in a country and time and time again you fall in love with the country because there is always something that they are improving on. That's a mark of a progressive society, and that was what Singapore was for me. I have— and I haven't been in 10 years since I left, but I am pretty sure that there are places that I will not recognize when I go there. That is how progressive, um, that society is. And I believe that You know, yes, they are practicing democracy now, but in the beginning it was pseudo-democracy that moved them forward.
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