As tensions simmer across social media platforms with escalating calls to boycott other African businesses in various countries across the continent, MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, has called for a strategic pivot toward youth empowerment.

The recent wave of what is being termed ‘Afrophobia’ in South Africa has sparked diplomatic anxiety across the continent. But industry leaders warned that turning against pan-African businesses will only impoverish the very demographics that need urgent economic elevation.

According to the United Nations, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. The demographic reality presents either a massive economic opportunity or a ticking time bomb, depending on how governments and the private sector harness it.

Addressing the dilemma on his LinkedIn page ahead of the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation dialogues, Mupita noted: “MTN also believes that embracing the benefits of the digital economy is vital to turning the youth bulge we have in Africa into a youth dividend.”

The simmering social media outrage across African countries, asking multinationals of other African countries’ origins to leave the country, threatens to disrupt an ecosystem that heavily employs young Nigerians.

Data by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that the telecommunications sector contributes over 13 per cent to the country’s GDP, driving much of the tech startup ecosystem where youth employment is concentrated.

Disrupting the digital infrastructure over xenophobic or Afrophobic tensions in Pretoria risks stunting local tech growth.

Speaking with Bloomberg on the wider corporate impact of the protests, Mupita highlighted the company’s hyper-awareness of the geopolitical climate. “We have not seen impacts specifically to our business, but we’re very sensitive in markets such as Nigeria and Ghana,” he stated.

The sensitivity underscores the delicate balance multinational corporations must maintain when nationalistic fervour threatens cross-border operations.

Ultimately, economic experts agree that structural issues of migration and unemployment cannot be solved through retaliation. The African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that the continent must create 12 million jobs annually to absorb new entrants into the labour market.

Channelling the energy of Africa’s youth into the digital economy, as Mupita advocates, remains the most viable blueprint for replacing continental conflict with shared prosperity.