The Greatest Untapped Resource in Southern Africa Is Not Beneath Our Soil—It Is Walking to School
For generations, Southern Africa has defined prosperity by what lies beneath its feet. Gold. Diamonds. Platinum. Copper. Lithium. Rare earth minerals. Our development debates have largely centred on extraction. We discuss commodity prices, foreign investment, transport corridors and industrialisation, believing that economic transformation will emerge from the resources we mine. Yet I believe we have been looking in the wrong direction. The greatest resource in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is not buried beneath the earth. It is walking to school every morning. It is sitting in an overcrowded classroom. It is studying beneath a flickering candle when electricity fails. It is the young girl who dreams of becoming an engineer, chemist, physician, entrepreneur or teacher, while wondering whether she will even complete secondary school. She represents Southern Africa's greatest untapped resource. Beyond Demographics Africa is often described as havi...