1960 was declared the ‘Year of Africa’ as many African countries around the continent broke free from European colonial rule and gained independence,with the joy and excitement of celebrations signalling hope and possibilities as Africa has ‘arrived’ on the world stage. It turns out it was more than liberation in Africa, a single moment in the global process of decolonization because it also marked the end of civil wars, dictatorship, corruption, and so on.
But many countries in Africa where to go on to experience stagnation, failed attempts at nationalisation of foreign assets, military dictatorships and Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) that international financial institutions were to later apologise for worsening many national economic woes. These events were not allowed to dampen continent-wide spirits as a new era of democratic governance ushered in impressive records of GDP growth. The much-achieved political stability coupled with macro-economic gains in the region unseated the deep sense of ‘Afro-pessimism’ dominantly around the 1980 s–2000s and replaced it with a more optimistic and at times even ‘Afro-euphoric’ outlook.
Remarkably by 2010, the continent made waves in international media outlets, publishing narratives with catchy headlines such as Life Africa, Rising Africa, and Imaging Africa among others. This again raised hopes and expectations to lift the region’s ‘bottom millions’ out of poverty by 2030, though dogged by the question – how realistic that goal is.
Over a decade now and we are seeing contrasting headlines about this same continent once positioned on a global economic scale as a result of a resurgence of economic increase predominantly within the Sub-Saharan countries. This raises a fundamental question of when will Africa get out of the doldrums. How have countries once known as front-runners of higher GDP growth fared in development trajectories? Do the current development parameters offer much hope for poverty eradication by 2030 as anticipated?
Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Morocco among others with higher GDPs around that time had nominal growth of 11.3% in 2010, 14.05% in 2011 and 3.82% in 2010 respectively. Ghana’s Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) had its agricultural sector perform reasonably with growth by 4.5 percent per annum over 1994–2013 as the cocoa sector also grew by 5.6 percent per annum over this period, coupled with one of the highest GDP growth now suddenly possesses the worst-performing currency in Africa. What could have gone wrong?
Why has optimism faded once again?
Protests against economic stagnation already began in mid-2021 in Accra.
While some are saying the reason for this is not far-fetched, given the current Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the Russian-Ukrainian war happenings, others are questioning why the gains of 2010 -2012 have not been deepened to withstand such external events. Does it mean that the macro gains of 2010 were not translated into individual gains of the citizens?
Does it mean that individual citizens are being excluded from the macro expansion of the economy despite the regular mantra of inclusive development, social inclusion and the like?
Recounting the 1960 euphoria of independence that gave way to the 2010 economic pessimism within the continent and contrasting current realities. Problems of exclusion, economic underdevelopment, political instability, and ethnic tensions continued to pose difficulties for the continent.
Of course, the continent has made tremendous improvement over time. Politically Africa is more integrated than ever through institutions such as the ‘African Union’ and since the launching of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), emerging as a single, integrated market. However, is the continent confidently charting its course, has attained greater agency in world affairs and is poised to take up its rightful place in international affairs?
It is high time we start questioning the definition of growth and the ways in which macroeconomic developments are translated in a way that leaves no one behind. My answer still anchors hope on the kind of development that is inclusive. The kind of growth that raises the living standards for broad swathes of a population. The kind of growth that will emphasise efficiency at the cost of inclusiveness and warns that inequitable growth may have adverse political outcomes. Such will help reduce social inequality and provide opportunities for enhancing human well-being while reducing the resource base and exacerbating the climate vulnerability of these people.
The question is what ways can public governance succeed at inclusivity?
