Africa: the data The Africa Rising narrative is an example of how a number or a small set of statistics can be both informative and misleading By Alfred Mthimkhulu What does the data tell us? This can be a very encouraging question in a business meeting. It can mean that in principle, whatever was being discussed is worth further investigation: “Great, let’s just make sure we’re right!” On the other hand, it can be an understated expression of doubt: “This thing won’t work!” In essence, both interpretations wish that the data will confirm expectations. But it is also possible that…
