In the next episode of Al Jazeera’s South 2 North …

In the next episode of South 2 North, on Friday, 31 May at 19:30 on Al Jazeera, channel 406 on DStv, Redi Tlhabi chats to Yutaka Yoshizawa, Japan’s ambassador to South Africa, and Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, the former prime minister of Niger, who is currently CEO of The New Partnership for Africa’s Development, also known as NEPAD.

“As the Tokyo International Conference on African Development kicks off, we’ll look at how Africa can best benefit from its current economic boom,” says Tlhabi. “In just ten years Africa has become one of the most dynamic regions in the world. A combination of natural and human resources has fuelled huge investments from both traditional and emerging powers. But can we turn this current boom into a repeat of Asia’s economic miracle?”

What role has NEPAD played in driving Africa’s growth? Why is NEPAD’s strategy for ongoing growth focused on national partnerships, development finance, and ownership? Is the era of aid dead? What can the lions of Africa can learn from Asia’s tiger economies? What role did education play in driving Asia’s economic boom and how is this being repeated (or not) in Africa? Who actually benefits from economic booms and can the wealth distribution be managed?

Watch Tlhabi ask the important questions on this week’s episode of South 2 North, which airs on Friday, 31 May at 6:30pm on Al Jazeera, channel 406 on DStv. It also screens on Saturday, 1 June at 1:30pm; on Sunday, 2 June at 3:30am; and on Monday, 3 June at 7:30am.

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