A growing chorus of voices is heralding a surge of prosperity and good governance in Africa: the World Bank believes that “sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth is poised for acceleration.” The consultancy Ernst & Young has started publishing “Africa Attractiveness” surveys. The Economist revised its often-cited opinion of Africa from “hopeless” in 2000 to “hopeful” in 2011.
Indeed there are signs for hope. After a relentless rise in the number of people living in extreme poverty in Africa in the 1980s and into the early 2000s, the figure started declining. In 2008 it fell by 12m to 47% of the population – the first time that fewer than half of Africans have been below the poverty line. Eight African countries have GDPs per head higher than that of China and in 15 countries it is higher than that of India. Africa’s strong economic growth is expected to continue.
There have also been improvements on the governance front. The number of successful coups per decade has declined from about 20 between 1960 and 2000 to 10 between 2000 and 2012. Multi-party democracy has become the norm. Regular elections have become commonplace. Governance has become a watchword with the establishment of initiatives such as Global Integrity (1999), the Mo Ibrahim Foundation (2006), Tony Blair’s Africa Governance Initiative (2009), and now Good Governance Africa (GGA, 2012).
If everything is improving, then what is the purpose of GGA and its peers? It is to stabilise gains where they have been made and – more importantly – to work towards improvements where they are still lacking. Recent coups in Mali and Guinea- Bissau, six rulers who have been in power for more than a quarter century, and not a single African country scoring higher than “borderline” on Foreign Policy magazine’s Failed States Index means there is much work left to be done. On the economic front, not only are the positive growth rates coming from a low base, but all too often, the benefits of increased income are going to a very small part of the population, a consequence of corruption and bad governance.
Africa in Fact will regularly highlight African governance themes. It is meant to equip decision-makers with information and insights that help make them more effective in business, government or other activities. In this first issue, we look at recent political transitions in various African countries – in some cases moving one step forward and two steps back, but in others developments are more positive. We hope that you will enjoy our first issue and look forward to receiving your feedback.
This article first appeared in Africa in Fact, Issue #1, June 2012
