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Gordon Brown urges 'African century'

KAMPALA, Uganda, July 24 (UPI) -- Former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown says world economic health is reliant upon the "productive potential" of African growth and development.

Visiting the Ugandan capital of Kampala, Brown said he hoped to see the continent create an "African century," BBC News reported Saturday.

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"Future growth in the world economy, and future jobs in the developing world, will depend on harnessing both the productive potential and the pent-up consumer demand of this continent," he said.

"To me the answer is obvious," Brown said. "As we struggle to find new sources of growth we must turn here, to Africa, to this continent of huge potential and talent."

To help African economies develop, he said, one vital need was increased access to broadband Internet, which he said less than 1 percent of Africans currently had access to.

"I truly believe that the rapid expansion of Internet access in Africa could transform how Africa trades, learns and holds political power accountable," he said.

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