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African Progress: Afro-Pessimism Redux?

The African Leadership Capacity Development Project

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The Blair Commission for Africa: Commentaries & Critiques
The Resource Curse -   Governance - Transparency - Corruption - Natural Resource Management
 
 
 

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Policy . Politics . Business . Trade . Finance . Civil Society . Arts . Culture . Entertainment


blackprogress.net - The Black Progress Network


The African Leadership & Progress Brief

Leadership & Governance Capacity Building in African Countries: Why and How Well-Off and Accomplished Africans, Especially "Brain Drain" Africans, Should Proactively Take Charge of Fostering African Progress


"Making Leaders". The Economist. 24 July 2003. ALPN director, Dr. Michael Isimbabi's letter in response to The Economist's cover story, "Now for Africa" (03 July 2003).


 

African Progress: Afro-Pessimism Redux?

 

A sampling of recent reports and diverse viewpoints on the prospects for African progress

 

The listing below is by no means comprehensive; it is continually expanded and updated. Suggestions of articles, papers, and other documents that merit inclusion in the list are welcome. Please send links or articles/documents to: editor@africanprogress.net.

 

The listing is largely in reverse chronological order.


Also on this website:

 

New Africa & the G8 - 2005 G8 Summit - Reports, Commentaries, Analyses

 

New Brain Drain, Brain Gain, Brain Circulation, Diaspora Africans, and Capacity Building in Africa

 

The Blair Commission for Africa: Commentaries & Critiques

Perspectives on African Leadership, NEPAD, the African Union, Etc.

The Resource Curse - Governance - Transparency - Corruption - Natural Resource Management


Amoako's Africa Diary [Blog]. Reflections on African development from the head of the UN's Economic Commission for Africa.

Special report: Hear Africa 05. The Guardian (UK)


 

The UN Summit: Beyond Words to Action.  Salih Booker, The Financial Mail (S.A.), September 28, 2005

 

Africa's time has come - and may have gone. Larry Elliott. The Guardian (UK). September 19, 2005.

 

Millennium Goals: 'A Miserable Performance,' Mbeki Scolds UN Summit. Paula Fray. Inter Press Service (S.A.). September 16, 2005.

 

UN 2005 World Summit - September 2005

 

The Millennium Development Goals in Africa – Progress and Challenges. UN Economic Commission for Africa. Sept 2005

 

Poor nations lose in watered-down UN document · Final draft a bland version of Gleneagles promises · No new money for aid and debt relief. Ewen MacAskill and Larry Elliott. The Guardian (UK). September 14, 2005.

 

Poverty targets will be missed, UN admits. The Guardian (UK). September 14, 2005. The UN admitted yesterday for the first time that its summit of world leaders that begins in New York today is unlikely to meet the ambitious targets for the organisation's reform and tackle world poverty.

 

African Perspectives on Aid: Foreign Assistance Will Not Pull Africa Out of Poverty. Thompson Ayodele, Franklin Cudjoe, Temba A. Nolutshungu, and Charles K. Sunwabe. Cato Institute Economic Development Bulletin No. 2, September 14, 2005.

 

Africa: The Development Challenges of the 21st Century. September 2005. Callisto Madavo, former Vice President for Africa & Chairman, Africa Capacity Development Operational Task Force, World Bank.

 

Poverty in Africa isn't history -- or destiny. Emira Woods. Dallas-Fort Worth Star Telegram. July 17, 2005

 

A Message to World Leaders: What about the Damage We Do to Africa? Royal African Society - June 2005

 


World Development Report 2006: Equity and Development - World Bank

Human Development Report 2005 - UNDP

Freedom of the Press 2005: A Global Survey of Media Independence. Freedom House

Freedom in the World 2005. Freedom House

Doing Business in 2006: Creating Jobs. World Bank

Economic Freedom of the World: 2005 Annual Report. The Fraser Institute

2005 Index of Economic Freedom. Heritage Foundation & Wall Street Journal


 

The World Bank's "Africa Action Plan" (“Meeting the Challenge of Africa’s Development: A World Bank Group Action Plan”) -- Planning for the “Decade of Africa”. September 2005

 

The World Bank's Africa Capacity Development Operational Task Force (2005)

 

World Bank President Urges Results on Reducing Poverty. World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz today addressed the United Nations General Assembly at the 2005 World Summit in New York. September 14, 2005

 

Africa: Whatever You Thought, Think Again. National Geographic Special Issue. Sept 2005

 

World Bank's Wolfowitz Outlines Africa Action Plan Initiative. Maps New Image of Africa as Player on Economic, Geopolitical Stage. September 8 press conference jointly hosted by the World Bank and National Geographic magazine in honor of the magazine's special September issue titled Africa: Whatever You Thought, Think Again.

 

Africa: Whatever You Thought, Think Again. Transcript of Proceedings, National Geographic/World Bank Special Presentation. September 8, 2005

 

Picture This: Geographic's Africa Cover. In Rare Move, Magazine Forgoes Photo on Front. DeNeen L. Brown. Washington Post. August 18, 2005

 

Corruption Takes Two, Wolfowitz Tells Business Leaders. Text of remarks by World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz at the Corporate Council on Africa's US-Africa Business Summit dinner, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. June 23, 2005.

"...And so let's, especially those of us from so-called the rich countries, developed countries, let's hold a mirror up to ourselves and remember every corrupt transaction has two parties. (Applause.) If I can coin a term there is a corruptee and there is a corruptor. (Laughter, applause.) And if the African people and their leaders are stepping up to the challenge of dealing with the corruptees, we, if I can speak as a citizen of a developed country - those of us in the developed world, in fact anywhere in the world, have responsibility to address corruptors as well. And to help African countries, as the Nigerian as seeking to do now, to recover the some of the stolen wealth that is sitting in bank accounts where it doesn't belong. (Applause.) ..."


 

African Perspectives on Aid: Foreign Assistance Will Not Pull Africa Out of Poverty. Thompson Ayodele, Franklin Cudjoe, Temba A. Nolutshungu, and Charles K. Sunwabe. Cato Institute Economic Development Bulletin No. No. 2 September 14, 2005.

 

Africa's Development Challenge: From Predatory to Accountable Government. Robert Guest. Cato Institute Economic Development Bulletin No. 1, June 30, 2005. (PDF)

 

Underdevelopment in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of the Private Sector and Political Elites. Moeletsi Mbeki, Cato Foreign Policy Analysis no. 85, April 15, 2005.


 

Africa: A historic opportunity - G8 Communique on Africa. 8 July 2005

 

 

 


 

5th African Union Summit -- 28 June - 5 July 2005

4th African Union Summit - Jan 2005 - Reports, Etc.

 

Africa Economic Summit. A call to action. World Economic Forum. 1-3 June 2005, Cape Town, South Africa

 

Africa Policy Outlook 2005. Africa Action (US)


In Nigeria, Where Money Talks, Reform Is the Word. Craig Timberg. The Washington Post. May 01, 2005

 

A Fragile Success in Africa (Ghana). Editorial. New York Times. April 25, 2005. Teetering on the verge of success, but with failure always threatening to knock at the door, Ghana has lately taken up the mantle of what passes for a success story in Africa.

The Economic Paradox of Ghana's Poverty. Michael M. Weinstein. Financial Times. 10 November 2003.

The last thing Ghana needs is more rescuers (Response to Weinstein). Todd J. Moss. Financial Times. 15 November 2003.


European Commission and World Bank Agree To Intensify Partnership to Support Africa (Press Release). April 18, 2005

African Countries Show Positive Growth But Region Still Lags Behind Rest Of The World (Press Release). World Bank. April 06, 2005

Global Monitoring Report 2005: Millennium Development Goals: From Consensus to Momentum. World Bank/IMF


Sinking Into Africa's 'Poverty Trap'. Forward. 28 April 2005.

 

Behind the image: Poverty and 'development pornography'. Pambazuka News, 21 April 2005.


A Changing Continent: The Africa You Never See. Carol Pineau. Washington Post. April 17, 2005

Africa Open for Business Documentary. View the trailer of Carol Pineau's documentary on entrepreneurship in Africa. Africa Open for Business - Documentary Website.

 

AFRICA 2005. Corporate Council on Africa


Scaling Up vs. Absorptive Capacity: Challenges and Opportunities for reaching the MDGs in Africa. Center for Global Development. April 14, 2005

Overcoming Stagnation in Aid-Dependent Countries. Center for Global Development. March 23, 2005

Poverty Reduction As If Rural People Mattered. Center for Global Development. March 03, 2005

Fighting AIDS, TB, and Malaria: Innovations and Challenges. February 15, 2005.


Chad-Cameroon: pumping poverty. Friends of the Earth. April 2005

 

Oil Revenues Flow to Chad (Feature Story). World Bank. April 01, 2005

 

Chad's Oil: Miracle or Mirage? Following the Money in Africa's Newest Petro-State. Bank Information Center. February 2005.

CSOs Examine Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Project and Chad Budget Process. International Budget Project


IRI Africa Director Testifies on the Prospects for Democracy in Zimbabwe, April 21, 2005

Zimbabwe: Popular Uprising Seems an Unlikely Course of Action, by Tafi Murinzi. Inter Press Service News Agency, April 9, 2005

Zimbabwe: Elections, despondency and civil society's responsibility. Pambazuka News, 07 April 2005
Zimbabwe's Enabler: South Africa Falls Short As Monitor of Democracy. Sebastian Mallaby. Washington Post. April 4, 2005.

Zimbabwe Polls Free And Fair: SADC, African Union. The Herald (Harare). April 4, 2005.

Observers back Zimbabwe poll. BBC News. April 4, 2005.


Wolfowitz: Africa is Top Priority for the World Bank: Newshour with Jim Lehrer Interview - 31 March 2005 (Video, Audio & Transcript). Jim Lehrer speaks to Paul Wolfowitz about his confirmation as the next president of the World Bank.

World Bank names Wolfowitz to post. Financial Times. March 31, 2005   

Mr. Wolfowitz and the Bank. Editorial. Washington Post. March 31, 2005

Paul Wolfowitz and the World Bank. The Economist. March 31, 2005

The Education of Paul Wolfowitz. Fareed Zakaria. Newsweek. March 28, 2005

World Bank Pragmatism: Wolfowitz's Ideology Fits New Challenges. Sebastian Mallaby. Washington Post. March 28, 2005

Practise what you preach, G-7. Joseph E. Stiglitz. Business Day (South Africa). March 22, 2005

Keeping an open mind. Editorial. Business Day (South Africa). March 22, 2005
Wolfowitz not the fanatic he is cast as.
Business Day (South Africa). March 22, 2005

Neither a scholar nor a leader. Business Day (South Africa). March 24, 2005

Wolfowitz at the World Bank. Brett D. Schaefer. Heritage Foundation. March 22, 2005

World Bank: Wolf at the door? BBC News. March 18, 2005

The Ugly American Bank. Paul Krugman. New York Times. March 18, 2005
More viewpoints: http://www.worldbankpresident.org/


Easy Ways to Aid Africa. Sebastian Mallaby. Washington Post. March 21, 2005 

 

Transparency can alleviate poverty. George Soros. Financial Times. March 16 2005

 

Africa's turn: The continent's problems are too big for us to ignore. Daily News (New York). March 20, 2005

Promises to Keep: With some nudging from activists, European politicians try to make good on pledges to Africa. Time, March 6, 2005.


Why does nobody care about blacks? Cover Story. New African. February 2005

 

Why Africa is treading water. Cover Story. New African. November 2004


Africa’s Opportunity, the World’s Obligation. Op-ed by Gobind Nankani, World Bank Vice-President for the Sub-Saharan Africa Region.

 

Brain Drain and Capacity Building in Africa. Ainalem Tebeje.

A diaspora and its good deeds: by Clyde Sanger


The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. Jeffrey Sachs. 2005

End