Abstract: | Despite considerable improvements in the policy environmentin many African countries in the last two decades, it is stilldifficult for the rest of the world to take Africa seriously.Not taking Africa seriously affects the growth and developmentoutcomes. Investors do not show much optimism about the region'sfuture, hence the relatively slow flow of private capital intothe region. Capable Africans also show little enthusiasm aboutthe future, hence the flight of financial wealth and human capitalout of the region. In the last decade, African countries havestepped up the campaign to make their reform efforts appearmore credible, adopting more cooperative approaches and greaterinterest in governance issues within a more global and regionalframework. This article seeks to show why the current effortsat broader reform need to be considered more seriously by therest of the world. |