Emerging Economies in Africa on the Rise

Would you be surprised to know that Africa has 17 countries that on average had GDP rates of over 5% over the last 15 years? These countries have helped Africa position itself as an emerging global trade and business region. And according to Steve Radelet, author of “Emerging Africa: How 17 Countries are Leading the Way," indicators portend more positive movement on the continent moving forward.

Radelet joins this AfribizTalk episode to share the insights he gained over twenty years in the international development field and expressed in “Emerging Africa.” Radelet served as advisor to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and now serves as an advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Radelet shares that this new, emerging Africa started when many African nations became bankrupt, the Soviet Union crumbled, and apartheid ended in South Africa. Since then, the transformation of these nations came from economic and political reforms, as well as other drivers like technology.

Some of the 17 emerging African economies include Tanzania, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Mali. Other nations like Liberia and Sierra Leone are considered transitional economies, who are currently making the right moves to become emerging economies.

Investors and entrepreneurs will find this discussion enlightening as it sets out to highlight countries in which the business context has been improving significantly within the last 10 to 15 years and collectively represent a population of 300 million people.

You will definitely want to listen to this episode.