WINDHOEK – There has been speculations in recent years as to the real reason behind the removal of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi with one of the most popular theories being that he was in the process of establishing a single gold-backed currency for Africa called the Gold Dinar. Many conspiracy theorists are of the opinion that Gaddafi’s new plan for Africa would have meant an entirely new banking system for the continent which would have taken economic power away from the current western powerhouses and would have dealt a severe blow to the US Dollar-based monetary system.
However, two local economic analysts seem to have opposing views on the practicality of a single African currency, with one saying such an ambitious plan is not pragmatic while the other feels that a common continental currency has the potential for strong value given the world’s dependency on African commodities.
According to Klaus Schade, a research associate at the Economic Association of Namibia, these conspiracy theories are not credible. To support his view, Schade put the African economy into perspective, noting that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the entire Africa amounted to some US$3.4 trillion in 2016 while the GDP of China, the world’s second largest economy, was more than thrice this figure at US$11.2 trillion…