In keynote remarks to the September Harvard Ministerial Forum, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam D. Boshe mapped what he considers mega trends shaping human development in Africa including population growth, rapid urbanization, accelerated adoption of technology, and climate change. He noted these megatrends have both positive and negative implications. Although these macro-developments are beyond the control of individual political leaders, governments can organize to benefit by enabling the entrepreneurial spirit of a mostly youthful population, accelerating integration of tech innovation across government, as well as service sectors like health and education, and tapping the enormous agricultural potential of the continent by promoting climate resilient approaches to crop production.

The former Prime Minister added that returns on investment in human development depend on the imagination that goes into the initiative as much as the available money. He urged Ministers to be innovative with the resources they had and not dwell on what they could do if there was a larger budget. True leadership in government, he said, is in seizing the moment and getting things done.

You can access the full presentation here.