The first consignment of 7000 seed samples bound for the ‘doomsday vault’ are in Norway en route to the remote Arctic Island. Drawn from 36 African nations, the samples will be kept in a vault that will officially be opened on February 26. The doomsday vault is meant to safeguard world crops against extinction from possible future disasters such as nuclear war and climate change among others.

Africa ought to borrow a leaf from this concept. With civil strife on the increase in Chad, Kenya, DRC Congo, Sudan and Zimbabwe among others, there is need to adopt a futuristic ‘doomsday vault’ thinking that will preserve African nations.

As developed countries are thinking 1000 years ahead, Africa is still mired in the ‘immediate.’ Wallowing in seasonal thinking and pegging hope on ‘five year plan’ leaders will bolt the continent in the poverty and conflict branding that has become synonymous with it since independence. The ‘doomsday vault’ is a wake-up call to Africa to think forward and long-term.