,,,The Good News Out of Africa: Democracy, Stability, and the Renewal of Growth and Development

The Good News Out of Africa: Democracy, Stability, and the Renewal of Growth and Development


 

Publication Date: February 2008

Publisher: Center for Global Development; Center for Global Development

Author(s): Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Steve Radelet; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; Steve Radelet

Research Area: Economics; International relations

Type:

Abstract:

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who will host President Bush on Thursday in the final stop of his five-country Africa tour, has news that may surprise some people: despite the problems in some African countries, things are clearly improving in much of the continent. In a new CGD essay co-authored with senior fellow Steve Radelet, Sirleaf describes how a growing number of African countries are embracing democracy and good governance, strengthening macroeconomic policies, and benefiting from debt relief. These countries are in the midst of an economic and development rebound, with economic growth averaging 5 percent for a decade, poverty rates beginning to fall, and social indicators beginning to improve. The essay concludes with recommendations on how this progress can be sustained and consolidated.