Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?

Major changes are needed if Africans and
their children are to claim the 21st century. With the
rapidly growing population, 5 percent annual growth is
needed simply to keep the number of poor from rising.
Halving severe poverty by 2015 will require annual growth of
more than 7 percent, along with a more equitable
distribution of income. Trends in Africa will need to change
radically for a catch-up process to materialize. This will
require determined leadership within Africa. It will require
better governance developing stable and representative
constitutional arrangements, implementing the rule of law,
managing resources transparently, and delivering services
effectively to communities and firms. It will require
greater investment in Africas people as well as measures
that encourage private investment in infrastructure and
production. And it will require better support and perhaps
more support from the international development community.
In facing these challenges, Africa has enormous potential
including the potential of its women, who now provide more
than half of the regions labor but lack equal access to
education and factors of production. This report brings
together the recent body of work particularly that emanating
from Africa itself to show how some African countries are
approaching common issues. African economies and sub-regions
are diverse and each will have to find its way to address
the challenges of the 21st century.