Gold and guns ... David LaChapelle's The Rape of Africa.
Photograph courtesy of the artist and Fred Torres Collaborations (The Observer)
"The economic landscape of Africa has changed dramatically since the mid-1990s, as stagnation has given way to dynamism in a broad swath of African countries."
Thats the introduction to a Civil Society policy forum at the World Bank today which is encouragingly entitled "Yes Africa Can: Success Stories From a Dynamic Continent".
Its undoubtedly true that the African economy is on the march. From Mozambique's impressive growth rate (averaging 8% p.a. for more than a decade) to Mali's success in exporting mangoes and from M-PESA's mobile phone-based cash transfers to Rwanda's gorilla-based tourism, Africa is seeing a dramatic transformation.
This favorable trend is spurred by, among other things, stronger leadership, better governance, an improving business climate, innovation, market-based solutions, a more involved citizenry, and an increasing reliance on home-grown solutions. But there's a darker side of the story thats being eclipsed in all the excitement of the new "Scramble for Africa."
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Continue reading The "Rape of Africa" vs "Yes Africa Can".