Introduction
The 21st century has been christened as the globalization age. It is the period through which tremendous movement of people, products and ideas have been experienced. Various technological advancements are also associated with this period in African soil. The force behind the increased movement across nations in Africa has been infrastructural development. Upon many African states’ attainment of self-rule, the borders opened up. The social culture that had been previously interfered with by the colonial masters was restored. To date, there are fundamental improvements in the name of movement of people, products and ideas. This paper will delve into examining this topic in Africa.
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"Current Movement of People, Products and Ideas in Africa".
Movement of People
The movement of people has been tremendous. There exist numerous reasons why people move across borders of their residents in Africa. Among the major reasons is trade and commerce. Countries that have ambient environment in terms of investment always receive huge number of people from countries that are less friendly to business ventures. Pan-Africanism, earlier ideological movements, has been observed up to date. African countries have always been friendly to persons aspiring to do business. Entry into and across African states is recognized and appreciated. The support and the encouragement of the same has always been on top of the agendas of African Union Summits that are predictably held by heads of African states. Thus, trade and commerce has been one of the major reasons why persons move across Africa.
Another category of reasons why people move across can be classified as involuntary movement. Political instability is a fundamental reason under this head. Many countries in Africa still experience deadly instability. Due to eruption of war rage in the affected countries, the residents move away from the political hot-beds and move towards areas that are peaceful. There are instances when the physical location of a state experiences deadly wars. People overflow to the neighboring countries as refugees. The recipient countries are always obligated to take care of the refugees. In fact, countries are always under international obligation to take good care of the refugees. People may further move involuntarily due to natural and unforeseeable calamities. These calamities include excessive rain pour, tornados etcetera.
Another reason why people move across Africa is in search of employment. The traditional movement known was the rural-urban migration. But upon undergoing globalization, persons are now moving across the borders in search of employment. Countries that are economically stable always experience an influx in terms of the persons who go searching for employment. South Africa has been classified as one of the most economically stable nations in Africa and thus has been among the lead recipient of people who search for employment.
Further, people move in search of higher education. Majority of states in Africa have not been able to absorb their residents in the few higher education institutions already in place. After getting the basic and secondary education in their countries, many move to South African states to get higher education.
Movement of Goods
Movement of goods across African states has continued to grow immensely. Goods in this respect mean raw materials and finished goods, food and non-food items. Raw materials may be produced in one state and be transported to another location in a different state for manufacturing. This happens always and every day. The movement has been facilitated by modern developments in infrastructure. Goods are transported by rail, road, and sea and by air. The improvement in rails and roads has seen a leap in the volume of commodities that are moved from one location to another. Minerals are also another category of commodities that move across the borders. They may be moved for processing or to be used in the manufacturing of other different commodities as additions.
Movement of ideas
Ideas are another category of non-tangible items that are easily moved across African states. This has been facilitated by the arrival and innovation of information and communication aspect. Ideas easily flow from one location to another due to the advanced stage at which the communication infrastructure are. It must also be noted that ideas may also be conveyed by people as they move from one location to the other simultaneously. For example, when an expert in soil science moves from The Gambia to Uganda, the idea of his expertise moves with the proprietor of the expertise. Other ideas that move easily are cultural and religious ideas. These may also move simultaneously with the persons that possess them.
Impact of movements of people, ideas and goods
The impacts assessed here are basically positive ones. By the movement of people, there is creation of employment of people. Further, when political heat rises in some countries, it is always safe for the residents to get refuge in the more stable countries. In this, deaths and injuries are kept at bay. In terms of the movements of goods, countries that are not able to produce some goods due to lack of favorable climate are able to get the same. This can only be achieved through the movement of goods. Further, countries that are not advanced in terms of industrialization always get their raw materials produced and manufactured somehow. The movement of ideas ensures that people socially understand each other. Technological and scientific ideas may be beneficial to the recipients. When people move for search of employment, their quest is always fulfilled.
From the above submissions thus, globalization is at its apex in Africa. The infrastructural advancement has facilitated movement of people, goods and ideas. The advantages of this particular movement are numerous.
