Why Africa Has Lagged Behind Other Continents and Regions in Development

Why Africa Has Lagged Behind Other Continents and Regions in Development
Author: Caroline Mutuku
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 13
Release: 2018-07-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3668746214

Academic Paper from the year 2018 in the subject Economics - Foreign Trade Theory, Trade Policy, grade: 1.3, , language: English, abstract: It is apparent that countries exhibit differences in wealth. This is some nations are considered as rich, whereas other are said to be poor. From an economic lens, it seems easier for someone to distinguish rich countries from poor ones based on the quantity of resources that are available to a given society. However, it is relatively difficult to identify in-depth information about income distribution among social groups, resources utilization and the trends of production and consumption within a given country or region (Acemoglu & Robinson, 2012). These parameters can only be determined through the use of a ‘development gauge.’ Therefore, this paper will provide a precise description of ‘development’ and attempt to explain why Africa has lagged behind other continents and regions in development.

Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals

Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals
Author: Maano Ramutsindela
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2019-06-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030148572

The book draws upon the expertise and international research collaborations forged by the Worldwide Universities Network Global Africa Group to critically engage with the intersection, in theory and practice, of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa’s development agendas and needs. Further, it argues that – and demonstrates how – the SDGs should be understood as an aspirational blueprint for development with multiple meanings that are situated in dynamic and contested terrains. As the SDGs have substantial implications for development policy and resourcing at both the macro and micro levels, their relevance is not only context-specific but should also be assessed in terms of the aspirations and needs of ordinary citizens across the continent. Drawing on analyses and evidence from both the natural and social sciences, the book demonstrates that progress towards the SDGs must meet demands for improving human well-being under diverse and challenging socio-economic, political and environmental conditions. Examples include those from the mining industry, public health, employment and the media. In closing, it highlights how international collaboration in the form of research networks can enhance the production of critical knowledge on and engagement with the SDGs in Africa.

Why Africa is Poor

Why Africa is Poor
Author: Greg Mills
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 014352903X

Economic growth does not demand a secret formula. Good development examples now abound in East Asia and further afield in others parts of Asia, and in Central America. But why then has Africa failed to realise its potential in half a century of independence? Why Africa is Poor demonstrates that Africa is poor not because the world has denied the continent the market and financial means to compete: far from it. It has not been because of aid per se. Nor is African poverty solely a consequence of poor infrastructure or trade access, or because the necessary development and technical expertise is unavailable internationally. Why then has the continent lagged behind other developing areas when its people work hard and the continent is blessed with abundant natural resources? Stomping across the continent and the developing world in search of the answer, Greg Mills controversially shows that the main reason why Africa's people are poor is because their leaders have made this choice.

Emerging Africa

Emerging Africa
Author: Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2014-07-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0141979461

A rare and timely intervention from Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, on development in Africa. To many, Africa is the new frontier. As the West lies battered by financial crisis, Africa is seen as offering limitless opportunities for wealth creation in the march of globalization. But what is Africa to today's Africans? Are its economies truly on the rise? And what is its likely future? In this pioneering book, leading international strategist Kingsley Moghalu challenges conventional wisdoms about Africa's quest for growth. Drawing on philosophy, economics and strategy, he ranges from capitalism to technological innovation, finance to foreign investment, and from human capital to world trade to offer a new vision of transformation. Ultimately he demonstrates how Africa's progress in the twenty-first century will require nothing short of the reinvention of the African mindset. 'Africans seriously analyzing Africa's opportunities are all too rare. Kingsley Moghalu writes with insight and authority' Paul Collier 'Savvy . . . distinguished' Mark Malloch-Brown 'Unique in the depth of its insight, the ambition of its scope, and the clarity of its argument. Kingsley Moghalu brings a remarkable intellect and his vast experience to this tour de force on Africa's economic transformation. This is a truly weighty contribution to understanding Africa's developmental dilemma and its quest for a more prosperous future' Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala 'Insightful and analytical . . . sheds instructive light on Africa's position in the world. It is a testament to the palpable optimism that encompasses Africa while frankly addressing the myriad challenges that lie ahead for its economic transformation' Shashi Tharoor Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu is Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. He was the Founder and CEO of Sogato Strategies S.A., a global strategy and risk management consulting firm in Geneva, Switzerland. He has previously worked for the United Nations for 17 years in strategic planning, legal, development finance and executive management. His previous books include Global Justice and Rwanda's Genocide.

Our Continent, Our Future

Our Continent, Our Future
Author: P. Thandika Mkandawire
Publisher: IDRC
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2014-05-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 155250204X

Our Continent, Our Future presents the emerging African perspective on this complex issue. The authors use as background their own extensive experience and a collection of 30 individual studies, 25 of which were from African economists, to summarize this African perspective and articulate a path for the future. They underscore the need to be sensitive to each country's unique history and current condition. They argue for a broader policy agenda and for a much more active role for the state within what is largely a market economy. Finally, they stress that Africa must, and can, compete in an increasingly globalized world and, perhaps most importantly, that Africans must assume the leading role in defining the continent's development agenda.

Financing Africa’s Development

Financing Africa’s Development
Author: Diery Seck
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2020-06-24
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3030464822

This book examines the impact of financing on Africa’s economic development. By exploring various financial instruments including the role of alternative sources of funding like migrant remittances and illicit flows, it analyses the role of financing for Africa’s macroeconomic development and other development indicators such as infrastructure, transport, global trade, industrialisation, social services, external indebtedness and governance. By presenting and examining case studies on various African countries and regions, the respective contributions investigate the capacity of institutions to facilitate and structure the economy’s funding activities, and to strengthen the ties between finance and development. Furthermore, they discuss various regional aspects, such as the integration of infrastructure, harmonization of fiscal policy, integration of financial markets, and the facilitation of intra-regional trade and movement of capital. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scholars of economics and development studies with an interest in the economic development of Africa.

Industries Without Smokestacks

Industries Without Smokestacks
Author: Richard S. Newfarmer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 472
Release: 2018
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0198821883

A study prepared by the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)

Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Mr.Dhaneshwar Ghura
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 32
Release: 1995-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1451855753

The paper investigates empirically the determinants of economic growth for a large sample of sub-Saharan African countries during 1981-92. The results indicate that (i) an increase in private investment has a relatively large positive impact on per capita growth; (ii) growth is stimulated by public policies that lower the budget deficit in relation to GDP (without reducing government investment), reduce the rate of inflation, maintain external competitiveness, promote structural reforms, encourage human capital development, and slow population growth; and (iii) convergence of per capita income occurs after controlling for human capital development and public policies.

Human Development in Africa

Human Development in Africa
Author: Augustin Fosu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre:
ISBN:

Human development (HD), a process designed to enhance human lives directly, is contrasted with economic development, which entails the expansion of material things intended to fulfill human needs. Human development empowers people to participate in the improvement of their own well-being. The paper looks at the record of HD in Africa over the period 1970-2005, using half-decadal data derived from United Nations sources and national statistical bureaus. It is found that over the period analyzed, the human development index improved in all African countries except in Zambia, where it declined, due to unfavorable terms of trade and to persistent health and governance problems, among challenges. Nonetheless, despite this progress, African countries continue to lag behind other regions of the world in HD. There has been little advance on the economic development front, where growth plummeted in most African countries, impoverishing nearly 50 percent of the population. Towards the end of the 1990s, however, African economies began to recover due mainly to reforms in governance and distributive systems, and in mechanisms to protect people against downside risks, including disease pandemics, political instabilities, droughts and adverse terms of trade. The paper argues for a continuation of reforms in order to further improve economic and human development outcomes on the continent.

Lost Crops of Africa

Lost Crops of Africa
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2006-10-27
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309164540

This report is the second in a series of three evaluating underexploited African plant resources that could help broaden and secure Africa's food supply. The volume describes the characteristics of 18 little-known indigenous African vegetables (including tubers and legumes) that have potential as food- and cash-crops but are typically overlooked by scientists and policymakers and in the world at large. The book assesses the potential of each vegetable to help overcome malnutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and create sustainable landcare in Africa. Each species is described in a separate chapter, based on information gathered from and verified by a pool of experts throughout the world. Volume I describes African grains and Volume III African fruits.