The Diaspora - African Magazine - 6th Issue

AFRI CAN DI VERSI TY SHOULD BE A STRENGTH RATHER THAN THE ROOT OF CONFLI CT I N THE CONTI NENT Africa is one of the most diverse continents in the world and in the view of some of the exclusive primordial markers, particularly with regard to ethnicity, culture, ethnicity, language, and religion.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. If language is taken as a proxy for ethnic identity, Nigeria is said to be home to some 470 languages with the Democratic Republic of Congo hosting 242 languages, Sudan (both North and South) 134 languages, Ethiopia 89 languages, and the Gambia, which is a small country, with 10 languages.

There is also remarkable religious diversity, although Christianity and Islam have the largest following in much of the continent.

African countries are often confronted by challenging socio-economic and demographic situations and set apart by the diversity of their social mechanisms.

Understanding the cultural diversity gap is, therefore, important because it is often only understood in the negative light of xenophobic attacks and ethnic wars. However, there are positive developmental gains that are less understood. Although conflicts arise easier in diverse groups, they can be more productive, developmental and creative in the long run with more generated ideas.

Africans as one acknowledges the true potential of people, the strength of diversity in their multiculturalism. Institutions need to focus on that strength of diversity and devise ways to become totally inclusive entities, since there is the potential of yielding greater productivity and gaining competitive advantages. Valuing and managing diversity is a key constituent of effective people management, which can improve workplace production.

Exploring and harnessing ethnicity within a diverse environment deepens the sense of belonging of individuals leading to efficiency and productivity in organizations, and by extension, in the larger society. Rather than see Africa?s diversity as an impediment to development, the continent should take advantage of this rich cultural diversity in its quest for economic development. It should change the attitudes of its people towards work, interpersonal trust, time, youth and women.

38 The Diaspora - African Magazine | Jan 2022