No sooner had the dust settled in Addis Ababa after an eventful year under President Kagame’s chairmanship of the African Union than the doors of another international gathering was opening to the world just across the Indian Ocean, in Dubai. The World Government Summit has become a permanent fixture on any world leader’s bucket list; the movers and shakers are there. In fact, it is a mirror image of the World Economic Forum, and like the latter, it helps shape the future of world government. A lot of technological advancements are being showcased in Dubai, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) that has become the world’s new toy. Over the last few years, Dubai has become the home of innovation and big dreams. Its heavy-laden coffers make it possible to pursue every technological wild goose chase, especially as regards to mobility. If it is not toying with drone taxis it is desalinating salty seawater. The United Arab Emirates is a good example of thinking outside the box instead of basing all its fortunes on its huge oil reserves, it has embarked on diversification; a vibrant manufacturing and service industries and research. To many Africans, Dubai is synonymous with trade – to them, it is one huge market. But it is more than that. A simple glance at the speakers’ roster at the Summit simply goes to show that Emiratis have invested a lot in marketing themselves; incidentally, there are very few Africans. At the moment, Dubai is one large classroom, but sadly, many students from our continent have skipped class.
