Wholeheartedly for Sustainable Africa

 

Her Excellency Hakima El Haite

As a guest of honor at the Certified Economic Diplomat (CED) event on September 21 – format conducted by the IEF and its European partners, Her Excellency Hakima El Haite, a prominent environmental scientist and former Minister, left participants in utter amaze with her passion and optimism about Africa's path to sustainability. It was the 7^th round of the world-known concept, orchestrated and hosted by prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic. With a deep insight into the challenges and opportunities continent’s facing, she emphasized the important role that Africa could play in addressing global issues like climate change, food security, and energy production, but only if it follows a united and sustainable path.

prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic

Born in Fez, Morocco, Excellency El Haite, is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of sustainable development environment and climate change, a climate scientist, an entrepreneur, and a politician. Biology, microbiology, and ecotoxicology graduate, El Haite has two PhDs in environmental engineering and environmental studies as well as a political communication diploma.

Currently the first Woman and first non-European president of the London-based Liberal International (December 2018 – November 2024), she’s also the founder of EauGlobe, the first environmental engineering firm in the African and Middle Eastern region.

In 2007, Excellency became president of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco and of the International Network of Liberal Women, an organization of liberalist female personalities. She has also worked as an expert with the World Bank in charge of monitoring waste projects in the MENA region Regional solid waste management project in the Mashreq and Maghreb countries-METAP project.

In 2013, El Haite was appointed Minister Delegate in Charge of the Environment for the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water, and Environment in Morocco. As such, she participated in the 2013 COP19 in Warsaw and COP20 in Lima before taking a leading role as Vice President in COP21 for the Climate Change negotiations in Paris in December 2015. In May 2016, she was appointed a “High-Level Climate Change Champion” by the Conference of Parties during COP22 and one of the world’s 100 most influential people in climate policy in 2019.

She is also Vice President of US-NAPEO, the US-North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity, and Connect Ingroup International, the first organization to train women for appointed office. Excellency el-Haite’s indispensable work was recognized by decorations in the US, Spain and France.

 Hakima El Haite

Africa’s Tremendous Potential

Hakima El Haite began by highlighting Africa's immense potential as a vibrant continent, home to 1.3 billion people, with over 30% of the population being youth. This youthful demographic, combined with the continent's rich natural resources, offers Africa unprecedented opportunities to lead in sustainability. Africa possesses more than 30% of the world's gold reserves and has the largest solar energy potential globally, receiving between 2,000 and 3,000 hours of sunlight annually. Furthermore, with 60% of the world's available arable land (about 4 million hectares) Africa is poised to become a global breadbasket.

However, despite these advantages, El Haite pointed out the that Africa, for Europeans and Americans, is seen as a market full of trade possibilities, exporting 75% of its resources. Yet, Africans do not perceive its continent as a market at all. Visiting numerous African countries, she observed poor infrastructure and undeveloped economies. She expressed disappointment that despite Africa’s natural wealth, it remains a continent with vast untapped potential and persistent poverty.

The Path to Empowerment and Sustainability

El Haite spoke passionately about Africa's ability to empower the world, particularly when it comes to energy. With global conflicts often revolving around energy resources like oil and gas, she argued that Africa, with its vast solar and land resources, has the potential to become a leading energy provider. Africa, she asserted, can feed the world, but to achieve true sustainability and development, certain prerequisites must be met.

The first prerequisite, according to El Haite, is the need to build strong institutional frameworks. She emphasized that Africa must establish institutions based on principles of democracy, equality, and transparency to create an environment in which its innovative youth can thrive. She highlighted the immense creativity and potential of African youth, describing them as key drivers of the continent’s future. But without the right governance structures, their potential will remain underutilized.

The second prerequisite is regional integration. "No single country can achieve it on their own," she declared, pointing to Africa's 44 fragmented nations, which often lack the economic and political integration necessary for large-scale development. Integration, she argued, would represent a tremendous opportunity for Africa to leverage its collective strengths. 

Challenges and Opportunities

El Haite acknowledged that Africa faces significant challenges, particularly with poverty and security issues. The continent remains the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which exacerbates its developmental difficulties. However, she also pointed out that Africa has a unique opportunity to take a different path than China and West. Africa can learn from the mistakes of others by investing in sustainable technologies and practices from the outset. "We can invest differently," she stated, underscoring that Africa has the chance to build a decarbonized civilization - an opportunity no other continent has had.

However, achieving this will require Africa to unite its voice on the global stage. She criticized the current state of international negotiations, where African leaders often advocate for their individual countries rather than for the continent as a whole. El Haite stressed that a united Africa is crucial for negotiating favorable terms in trade agreements and addressing the continent’s significant debt burden. African countries often face much higher interest rates on loans than rest of the world, stifling investment and growth. A collective bargaining position, she argued, would allow Africa to negotiate more favorable terms and attract the investment needed to build sustainable infrastructure.

While the path to sustainability is long and fraught with obstacles, El Haite remains hopeful. Africa has the resources, the youth, and the potential to build a future based on dignity, sustainability, and prosperity. But to achieve this, the continent must integrate and unite its voice on the global stage. Only then can Africa truly become a solution for the world and a beacon of sustainability for future generations.

The mesmerizing ship of insights and wisdom gets a full swing sail once again. Its first batch closing port of call awaits before too long, with a ICCD Secretary-General Sheikh Yousef Hasan Khalawi, and his associates (ICHS CEO Tanbouly and OIC Arbitration Center SecG Oseni) hosted last Saturday of September 2024.

Dunja Spasojević

About the author:

Dunja Spasojević of the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic. Her research interests lie in the economic aspects of European integration and globalization, with a particular focus on the economic development of the new EU member states, candidate countries and the Euro-MED dialogue.