Durban - The
essence of leadership today rests in three values: respect for human leadership
and diversity, to serve communities you belong to above self-interest and to be
a trustee for future generations.
World Economic
Forum (WEF) chairman Professor Klaus Schwab stressed these at the end of his speech and at the end of the
session "Africa in the New Global Context" at the WEF on Africa
meeting in Durban on Thursday.
"Everywhere,
there is a crisis of leadership," he said.
"Why?"
"People feel
they live in a precarious situation ... they expect fast solutions for
complicated problems and many populists are exploiting this situation," he
said.
"But, in the
end, we can have a prosperous and peaceful world if we come back to being
value-based, he said.
He said the
Fourth Industrial Revolution would bring about a new dividing line -- those who
embrace the future and new opportunities and those who looked back and struggle
in suppression.
Schwab said a
challenge for the future was solving youth unemployment by 2030, especially in
Africa where one in four young people will be living.
South Africa's
President Jacob Zuma, who also spoke at the session, said in response to a
question from a youth representative from the floor that his recent reshuffle
had involved placing younger people in Cabinet positions and said of opposition
to such moves: "That's democracy".
The youth
representative, from Mozambique, has asked how youth participation could be
speeded up, adding that he would elderly by the time plans were scheduled to
have taken effect and that younger people were not represented in governments.
"When we try
to protest peacefully, governments send tanks out.
"How do we
speed up the process? “he asked.
Zuma replied that
he had joined the struggle against apartheid as a young man in his 20s and at
times he and comrades wondered if they would ever be free.
He called on the
youth to participate in bringing about change along with the elders.
He also joked
that he needed to know which countries' governments were sending out tanks as
he wold then have to "talk with his brothers".
Zuma also spoke
out against the removal of "billions taken out of Africa each year",
saying this money should be used for funding the continents own development.
"We are
encouraged by the work of the financial task force, “he said.
"One of its
recommendations is that countries should identify, assess and understand money
laundering and terrorism financing and should take action."
Ending off the
session, Schwab stressed the importance of education and the need to create
skills.
"The future
does not belong to capitalism, it belongs to talentism," he said.
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