Foreign Policy Blogs

African Growth Ahead?

African Growth Ahead?

The Economist African growth projection, Jan. 2011

Is there good economic news ahead for Africa? The IMF thinks there is a possibility:

The International Monetary Fund forecast on Wednesday a rosy outlook for Sub Saharan Africa growth in 2012 but warned of significant risks from global financial volatility that could subdue demand and private inflows into the world’s poorest continent.

 

Economies in the region are expected to post nearly 6 percent average economic growth in 2012, rising from above 5 percent this year, the IMF said, pointing to a better outlook than in advanced economies, which could experience a sharp slowdown due to global volatility.

Of course the growth will be uneven, but on the whole it’s pretty rare to see positive forecasts for the continent as a whole.

 

Author

Derek Catsam

Derek Catsam is a Professor of history and Kathlyn Cosper Dunagan Professor in the Humanities at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He is also Senior Research Associate at Rhodes University. Derek writes about race and politics in the United States and Africa, sports, and terrorism. He is currently working on books on bus boycotts in the United States and South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s and on the 1981 South African Springbok rugby team's tour to the US. He is the author of three books, dozens of scholarly articles and reviews, and has published widely on current affairs in African, American, and European publications. He has lived, worked, and travelled extensively throughout southern Africa. He writes about politics, sports, travel, pop culture, and just about anything else that comes to mind.

Areas of Focus:
Africa; Zimbabwe; South Africa; Apartheid

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