The Africa Review in Five highlights African current affairs from a Christian perspective. Listen and subscribe through Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Today is Tuesday, June 13th, A.D. 2023. This is The Africa Review in Five, written by Paul Schlehlein and presented by Yamikani Katunga
Economic Freedom
Each year the Heritage Foundation gives a comprehensive analysis of the economic freedom and policies of 184 sovereign countries worldwide. Factors include trade, investment, property rights, and government intervention. These statistics are important because they show which national governments exert coercion and constraints on the liberties of their people, thus hindering their prosperity.
This index uses a 1-100 scale, with 100 being the most free. The five countries in 2023 with the highest economic freedom were Singapore at 83.9, Switzerland at 83.8, Ireland at 82, Taiwan at 80.7, and New Zealand at 78.9.
The countries with the lowest economic freedom are placed in the “repressed” category. The five lowest were Zimbabwe, Sudan, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.
Though Africa is the continent with the least economic freedom in the world, there are still some success stories. Mauritius stands atop Africa because it has embraced reforms and global integration. Visual Capitalist shows that in continental Africa, the highest-ranked countries are Botswana, Tanzania, and Côte d’Ivoire. Somewhat surprisingly, Botswana’s rankings are higher than countries like France and Italy.
Usually the freer a nation is, the more Christian influence they have had. Christians, of all people, should speak the most often about freedom. Christians should be the freest people on earth because the Bible is the story of redemption.
Christians do not define freedom as the right to act however one pleases but instead as the liberty to live righteously. Jesus said in John 8:36: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
African Roadways and Gospel Avenues
Recently a project called Python Maps mapped all the roads in the world. The U.S. has the most roads at three million kms worth, with China, India, and Mexico coming in 2nd through fourth.
The African countries with the most roads are South Africa (ranked 15th), Somalia (ranked 28th), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (ranked 29th). The African country with the least roads was the Comorian Islands/Mayotte, with under 1,000 kms of total roads.
The countries with the smallest road systems are often the least reached with the gospel. These places are difficult to reach spiritually because they are difficult to reach physically. In Luke 14:23 Jesus urged his followers to give the gospel to all, including the neglected and outcasts of society, saying: “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel the people to come in, that my house may be filled.”
Fake Physicians
Finally, those who have seen the metropolitan and rural landscape in South Africa can testify to the litany of signs advertising medical care from doctors. It turns out that many of them are not qualified.
Recently, the South African Health Professions Council has been clamping down on illegal doctors in the country. Over the past three years, over 100 fake doctors have been arrested.
Mvuyisi Mzukwa, a spokesperson for the SA Medical Association, said that many of the individuals lack proper medical training or possess only partial qualifications. Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said that many of the so-called doctors accept cash payments to avoid detection.
Numbers 32:23 reminds us, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
And that’s it for The Africa Review in Five on this Tuesday, June 13th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe to the Missionary Minds podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts. I’m Yamikani Katunga. Be not weary in well-doing.