theresa may nairobi YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images

An African Opportunity for Post-Brexit Britain

Managing the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be challenging for everyone, but there is no doubt that a UK set to depart from the EU faces added uncertainty. As a post-Brexit Britain finds its place in the world, it would be well advised not to overlook Africa.

LUSAKA – The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos has long been the political and business world’s equivalent of the Vanity Fair Oscar party: by invitation only, it is a place to be seen. This year, however, it should also be a place for the world – and especially a Brexit-bound United Kingdom – to reconsider its approach to Africa.

Having faced growing criticism for the event’s perceived elitism in the last few years, the WEF has been trying to revitalize Davos as a jumping-off point for innovation and action for the common good. This year’s theme is “Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution” – the phrase “Fourth Industrial Revolution” may conjure images of bustling Victorian factories and steam trains chugging through the English countryside, but actually describes the technology-driven, globalization-fueled economic revolution taking place today.

Managing this transformation will be challenging for everyone, but there is no doubt that a UK set to depart from the European Union faces a particularly high degree of uncertainty. As a post-Brexit Britain seeks its place in the world, focusing on Africa would hold considerable promise.

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