africa

Yale Center for the Study of Globalization
a continental challenge. This will bring about an Africa that is different than the
one that I grew up with.
To sum up, African countries face huge challenges but this does not mean that
they cannot make progress or that we cannot have a positive view about Africa
generally. With increased education, improved governance, a greater role for
women, and a unifying technology, the people on the continent will learn to benefit
from their natural resources and become a stronger force on the world scene.
As never before, the opportunity exists. African leaders must have the maturity
and the foresight to broaden their economic base and make corruption a thing
of the past. Let us hope that the challenge is accepted and that a unified Africa
will take the important place in the world that its anticipated 20 percent of global
population deserves.
In April of 2014 the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization brought together a
select group of academics, practitioners, and policymakers to examine in detail
precisely these and other pressing issues. The conference participants who convened
at Yale University explored the sustainability of Africa’s current trajectory,
analyzed which policies and practices have proven most effective throughout the
region, and inquired what needs to be done to keep Africa growing and address
more effectively the acute poverty and human development problems that persist in
some countries. I commend the YCSG for organizing this conference and initiating
an excellent opportunity for members of the international scholarly community as
well as specialists from multilateral institutions from Africa, the US, and Europe
together to look in-depth at Africa’s struggles and its accomplishments. The papers
in this volume contain research and analysis on a range of issues that pertain to
the political, economic, and social aspects of Africa’s past growth and what forces
are shaping its path into the future.
James D. Wolfensohn
Former President, The World Bank
18