10 The world's population reached 8 billion in 2022, and although India recently surpassed China as the most populous country, it is Africa that is capturing the attention of experts due to its rapid population growth. Over the last century, this continent has gone from two hundred million inhabitants to becoming one of the most populous and youngest regions in the world, with 1.4 billion. The majority of its people are under thirty, a stark contrast to the widespread aging in many other regions. Demographers, in fact, estimate that in just a few years, this continent will represent a quarter of the world's population. This dynamism could generate a significant demographic dividend and favor the rise of new powers such as Tanzania and Nigeria. For this reason, many authors assert that the 21st century will be the "century of Africa." However, it is not all rosy, because this hopeful future coexists with an old shadow: the persistent influence of the former colonial powers.

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