Africa and Globalization: An Overview

Abstract

The dl!l't'lopmelll of SCle llCI.' (lnd Il!chnolo8J hus If/cre/mng/l hnmg/rt III" ","nle world
wgetlrer than lmy other 1If1l ~ III tire pliH The COnJequencl' ~ of techllf1lo!!rc(l1 IIdl'(lnces
and iltllol'lIliUlu' arl! nt) longer conjillelllllilre alrcady del'elopell worM /JIlt (l1~o rel/clrell
ow, III./Iuem.ed alit! l1('gmively or pOJ'ltll'ely affected af/ Ihe llendopmg countries of lire
",orld III general and tlWJ'e of Afric(l If/ f}{lrllclll(lr Masl Ardctln cQllntries whIch goill(W
only politicll' independence from CQlonlll/um in the 1960s alit! after hm.,. continued 10 be
ecollomlcaf/y deperulent un Ihe del'eloped world. To thIS day, AfrlCll hllf remained Ihe
slIppliel' of primary pmt!IICI.\· 10 lire (Iewloped corm/ries (lil t! Ihe fIet importer of
lIramifacll,rl'd goods from ollt.vide fJl'ol'itling II lera/n'e markets for lire III dllSlrill fl::l'l/
nGllOm Therefon:. 11r" rtlJ"d grol< IIr of mformill/on technology ami modern
Iransporf(ltI01l systems which has marie prOlluclmn, di.~t rr b"tron. Ir(l(/" {lilt! I1II'eSlmenl
more IlIIegrllled alld lllterlinked has gripped Africa by surprise. Thl~' Inlcgrlllion lind
IIIterdependence of different n(/fionS wi/n widely varied SOCIal, ('C()f/OntIC, POllljClll and
cul/wal de l'eiopments brought abOllt II phenomenon known (IS Globoli::tllicm which IIt/.f
caughl Africa more or les,~ Imprepured The li'nJl beCllmf! quite fashionllble III the 1990s
In Ihe w(lke of las I IIIlemllliOllll1 economIc growlh follo ..... 1111/. Ihe col/apse o/Ihe Colli War
Dlfferelll wr/lers define Ihe COl/cep/ differentl)' bill mosl schol(jrs tlgree that globali:ation
is Ihe acce/~ral etl grow:h 0/ ecollomic aCllvily across nallollal, regIOnal and mlernallOllll/
bOllndllrle.\ e.\pressed by the increllsel/ mOI'emen' of /(jng rble and III langlole goods and
fervice.f, including ownership rights. through trade Will inl'estntelll and often Ihrough
migra/lon of people. II is oj/en facilitated by lifting gOI'emment impelJiments 10 Ihal
mOI'emenl andlor b,v tCc/ln%gical process. G/obalization represents a slage ;n
inti'rllatiollfll ('Conomic mteraCllons wilh an intensit'e increase ifl netll'orking throl/gh
telecommllniClIIions lind Imoge-sca/e IIJe of comp/llers. the domillance of big inlemationtll
corponJlioflJ 11101 deploy 1I11'estmenIS. prodllctian and a/her aelil'llies relatively freely to
01/ comcr.f of Ihe globe It is apparently clear f rom /lte definition of globali::ation that
generally del'e/opmg COIIntr/CS m tire 1I"0rld inc/llding Ethiopia could nOI slap the
irrjluence of deepenmg globah:a/lon because /I el'ell lll l'O/I'es tne erosIon of the all/onomy
of the so,·erelgn state (Patmllll, 1006: 9). II is Iherefore quile impos.fible for any cO//f/ tly
anywhere to lock lip its doors to globa/izlIIioll. Witlr a brie/intrndllclion and conclllding
remarks, Ihls paper al/empls /0 highlight Ihe t'sselll!e and Ihe con~equellces of
globalization as \l'dl as lmalyze Ihe pOlillon of African countries in relation 10 somt'
ImporUl/Il stralegles Ihey COllld employ to cop" WI/h Ine phenomenon