Emerging Africa: How 17 Countries are Leading the Way
On September 16th, the Center for Global Development hosted a book launch for Steve Radelet’s Emerging Africa: How 17 Countries are Leading the Way at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art. While it’s often the negative aspects of Sub-Saharan Africa that occupy the spotlight, Radelet offers a promising and afro-optimistic assessment, while not discounting the very real challenges that face the continent.
The book examines the emergence of 17 politically and economically promising African countries. Radelet illuminates the distinction between these “emerging countries” and 1) countries that have experienced uneven progress largely as a result of oil-exportation, and 2) countries that have experienced very little progress overall. Radelet highlights the progress of these 17 countries through a long-term perspective: in 1980 many of them were debt ridden, stagnant dictatorships. By 2000, while far from flawless, these countries began to make important political, fiscal, and judicial reforms. Furthermore, the number of democracies in Africa jumped dramatically from 3 in 1989 to 23 in 2010.
What contributed to this economic and political shift? Radelet explains a number of fundamental changes that have taken place over the last twenty years, and that will continue to sustain progress in the next twenty:
- Increased political accountability
- A push towards economic liberalization
- The end of the debt crisis and more appreciation for country-ownership
- The emergence of a new generation of leaders
- The rise and prevalence of technology
All of these factors are deeply interrelated and create positive reinforcing cycles once they take hold in a country. And – of course – that’s where InfoSpring comes in. It’s built on the foundation of harnessing technology to bring about change and progress. The ability to connect practitioners, create communities, and forge networks across borders and within countries would have been unfathomable in Africa just 10 years ago. However, as internet access and SMS technology continues to reach more and more people, access to information, resources and networks expand. People connect, ideas are shared, progress is made. That’s the goal of InfoSpring!
InfoSpring currently has a strong membership base in Uganda and Tanzania, which Radelet identifies as “emerging countries.” Furthermore, our hubs in Kenya and Liberia, both “threshold countries,” are comprised of some of our most active members.
What Radelet is suggesting is that there is very real promise in a number of African countries. Certainly, challenges remain both within these countries and within the countries experience low growth levels, conflict, or crippling political situations. However by studying and supporting the success of the emerging countries, development practitioners can gain a clearer understanding of how to spread this growth to countries that lag behind. Essentially, success doesn’t have to be limited to this group of countries.
For more information on Emerging Africa: How 17 Countries are Leading the Way, visit the CGD website.
| DevPrac
Jerome
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