Africa Reset

Book excerpt: Africa faces both big opportunities and worrisome threats. The Africa that emerges over the next 40 years—whether it becomes a dynamic continent with a growing influence in the world or an economic backwater that exports its people and capital—depends on what African countries do now. The continent is growing and many socioeconomic indicators are improving, but it is no longer catching up with the rest of the world—it is not converging. This book looks at Africa’s economic performance over the last decade, highlights the difference in performance across countries, and identifies the biggest policy issues that need to be addressed if Africa is to converge with the rest of the world and meet the aspirations of its people. Despite tougher global economic conditions—slower growth, lower commodity prices, and tighter financial markets—one out of four African countries have averaged per capita income growth above three percent for the last decade. The progress of these high performers shows that it is what countries do—the policies of their governments, the responsiveness of their entrepreneurs, the integrity of their institutions, and the political will of their leaders—that makes the difference, not their resource endowments. The challenge is to extend this African best practice to more countries of the continent. This book shows that the consequences of such a “reset” can transform the continent but also that the human cost of not doing so would be staggering.