Questioning the Africa Rising Meme
Before, during and after the US Africa summit one of the most frequently repeated factoids supporting the Africa Rising meme was that 'seven out of ten fastest growing economies are in Africa.' In reality this is both a far less accurate and much less impressive statistic than it sounds, writes African Arguments' Morten Jerven. Ed's note: The word "meme" was coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, as an attempt to explain the way cultural information spreads.
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Africa:
No Meaning to '7 Out of 10 Fastest Growing Economies Are in Africa'
African Arguments, 26 August 2014
Before, during and after the US Africa summit one of the most frequently repeated factoids supporting the Africa Rising meme was that 'seven out of ten fastest growing economies… Read more »
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Africa:
Eliminating Poverty - an Appeal for More Realistic Targets
ISS, 27 August 2014
When Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, first mooted the idea of Agenda 2063 as a blueprint to achieve 'a prosperous and united Africa in the… Read more »
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Ethiopia:
Creativity Is the New Money
Addis Standard, 26 August 2014
On August 19th, like every night, Africa's creative talent was showcased across the continent. In Cape Town, South African opera stars Andiswa Kedama and Pauline Malefane's voices… Read more »
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Africa:
Africa's Development: Fallacy of Self-Sufficiency (1)
Guardian, 25 August 2014
DR. KINGSLEY Chiedu Moghalu, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recently delivered a public lecture on Africa's development at the London School of Economics… Read more »
InFocus
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By exploiting weaknesses in investment contracts and loopholes in valuation, pricing and taxation regimes, corporations are able to use all sorts of devices to minimize their tax ... Read more »
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Africa's growing population presents an opportunity which could be translated into sustained economic growth, according to a new Unicef report. Read more »
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AllAfrica guest columnists ranging from the presidents of Mauritania and Mozambique to activists, experts and lobbyists based in locations from Johannesburg to Washington, DC, ... Read more »
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Africa is widely seen as the world's 'new frontier'. As the West lies battered by financial crises, Africa is seen as offering limitless opportunities for wealth creation in the ... Read more »
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The United States needs to "up our game" and do much more to promote business with Africa, President Obama told the Business Forum at the U.S.-Africa Summit. He announced a series ... Read more »
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Domestic resources should be mobilized to bring about inclusive development in Africa, particularly by stopping the illicit flow of money out of the continent, writes AllAfrica ... Read more »
A farmer with her bean harvest in Rwanda.