The heart of civilisation: averting a conflict in Africa.

I have learned an incredible amount about Africa over the last four years from your magazines which I read on a monthly basis. Please allow me to express my thoughts on our continent.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

We all know that Africa is the heart of civilisation. It has more English speakers than the UK; more French speakers than France; more Portuguese speakers than Portugal; and more Arabic speakers than live in the Arabian Peninsula. Africa has many highly educated people. But the paradox is that Africa seems to lack pragmatism.

In my opinion, Africa risks being destined to become the battleground for a massive conflict that could take on a global dimension.

This threat arises from the continent's extensive and valuable natural resources. Africa's highly dangerous situation becomes more volatile each day and a clash between external powers threatens to damage Africa.

Today, new external powers are exploring for Africa's natural resources, ascertaining their extent and availability and how to best exploit the wealth they can unlock. These external powers are neither treating Africans with respect nor understanding. They regard the continent's resources as their own wealth.

This would be bad enough were it not for the additional danger that the external powers are in bitter competition with each other and this could spark a conflict that will make a conflagration unavoidable.

This scenario is almost inevitable, in my view, unless we take certain steps to avoid a disaster. We have experienced many injustices in the past and we must learn from our history to avoid a repetition of the circumstances that created them.

However, some of our current leaders and decision-makers appear to be ignorant of the dangers and susceptible to manipulation by the special interest groups of foreign powers.

The way to prevent the imminent danger that Africa is facing is to promote a new formula for co-operation that allows Africans to control their own destiny and negotiate a level playing-field in international trade. Only that way will a mutually profitable era of business opportunities be opened up for Africa and the world powers.

Basha Hifato

Ottawa, Canada

Prize Letter

WIN A FREE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION!

African Business will award a free one year subscription to the reader whose letter is chosen as the Prize Letter for that month. (Existing subscribers will receive a free annual renewal). Your views on Africa and matters affecting Africa are very important to this publication. We encourage you to share them with thousands of our readers in Africa and all over the world. Please address your comments to: The Editor, African Business, 7 Coldbath Sq. London ECIR 4LQ, UK.

All letters must bear the writer's name and address, although you can ask for your name to be withheld.