Today a piece of Europe, with its prime ministers and ministers for foreign affairs, has moved to Côte d’Ivoire. They are going to discuss about Africa’s development and its youth, with some representatives of African union.

This is very good news. But things are actually quite different.

With a potentially optimistic heading (“We are starting with 44 billion”), last Sunday La Repubblica dedicated its second and third pages to this subject, informing us that Europe is going to bring two funds to the helps’ table: the Africa Trust Fund and the External Investment Fund.

The first consists in 3.2 billion – each year, Bill Gates spends a lot more for Africa! –, the second in 3.4 billion and, according to La Repubblica, it will improve, up to 40 billion, thanks to entrepreneurs (?). This should be a starting point for a Marshall Plan for Africa, which Mrs. Merkel would have mentioned.

As I’m not going to comment the data – which are, in my opinion, not so trustful -, I will highlight the sole positive aspect: the intention of EU to “invest” in Africa.

Signals are many.

The two pages on Repubblica and Bellasio’s Fund are important. Sky Tv often dedicates a part of its Tg24 to Africa’s misfortunes, even if there is no news which they can indignantly discuss on.

So, we are starting to discuss about it.

Anyway, we must say there is a tight bond between Europe and Africa and Africa’s future is not so bright as or so far as some politicians, economists or journalists want to show.

It’s not bright because of demographic growth, which will cause African population to be 2.5 billion in 2050 and then 4.3 billion in 2100. 4 in 10 world’s inhabitants will be African, against 4 Asian, 1 South American and 1 white person.

And because of its everlasting poverty, its unliveable cities, its inadequate economic development, its endemic unemployment (especially young people’s one) and its corrupted and inadequate politicians, in a continent which is paradoxically rich in raw materials, in arable land, in sun, water and wind, in a lively technological potential and in humanity.

In short, if Africa breaks down, if it can’t make it, it will politically take Europe with it.

There are two main African problems which Europe and Italy should be particularly interested in: migrations, which now are still under control, but which are going to grow, and terrorism, which could create new and unstoppable groups, because of poverty.

We don’t’ need to be wise politicians to understand that we won’t stop this nightmare if we don’t quickly help to create wealth in Africa now.

And we must create this wealth as China is doing, building infrastructure, involving local people and buying African raw materials.

I don’t know if today they are going to lay the basis for a shared and strong work, but the money they are putting on the table is ridiculous if compared with the problem. And the timing is very inadequate.

We don’t have much time.

I’m so worried about these matters that I have written a book – “Exploding Africa” – which I am going to introduce on this blog, from today onwards. This book’s contents are going to be posted and commented in order to speed the debate up.

The book is meant to show and explain all future trends which are going to politically and practically affect not only Africa, but also Europe and Italy.