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This remains an important task. Despite the clear evidence of sustained progress, there are many who remain scepticalabout Africa. It is important for us to continue to provide evidence of the continent’s progress, so that decisionsare driven by facts rather than often outdated perceptions. The first chapter of this report highlights some of thisevidence, summarizing what for us have been some of the key drivers of the African growth story.It is clear to us too though that, despite the progress that has been made in Africa since the end of the Cold War andApartheid, much work still needs to be done to realize Africa’s vast possibilities. The time is therefore right for us tobegin to shift our focus towards the future of Africa. As we look forward over the next decade and beyond, our ownscenario analysis suggests that a success story for Africa will be one that leads us on an inclusive, sustainable growthpath. In the second chapter we begin to explore what it will take to achieve this success story, and we articulate fivepriorities for action that we believe will be most critical to a successful African future.The potential exists for us to be part of an African future that would have been virtually unimaginable a generationago. The reality though is that this future is neither inevitable nor will it happen without active participation andcommitment from multiple stakeholders. We therefore need to create platforms and mechanisms for both dialogueand collaborative action. Since 2012, we have convened the annual Strategic Growth Forum Africa as one suchplatform for dialogue and collaboration among leaders in the private, public and social sectors.In this report we also present the perspectives of a diverse group of leaders with interests in Africa. Each one of themwas invited to provide a point of view on what the future of Africa might look like, what the drivers of change andcritical success factors are likely to be. The brief was intentionally broad in order to elicit a range of responses.Overall, the sense one gets from the various contributions is one of progress and optimism; that the changes we haveseen over the past 15 years are sustainable, and will make Africa an international socio-economic focus in the comingyears.Optimism is, however, tempered by notes of caution. A consistent thread running through the contributions is theobservation that intra-regional trade is substantially below what can be achieved. The fact is that legislation andregulation still act as blocks to cross-border trade- a stumbling block that has to be removed to promote Africanprosperity.Agriculture also receives attention, particularly the need to break down the barriers of traditional subsistenceagriculture and then replace it with large-scale commercial operations capable of meeting the production objectivesrequired by a continent in transition.The depth of human resources, and the availability of a future pool of labour on a continent populated by youngpeople, raised excitement and concern; excitement because of the availability of people to drive the African economyof the future; concern about the delivery of education and the creation of skills appropriate to growing economies.However, the dominant view is that change is real. Economic growth and development will continue, and will be drivenby a burgeoning African middle class with growing levels of discretionary income, growth in local entrepreneurship andinvestment in bridging the infrastructure gap.One of the key factors, mentioned by many, is the proliferation of mobile telecommunications, the convergence oftechnologies and the ability for these to drive forward financial inclusion, government efficiency, trading opportunities,and the delivery of education, healthcare and other services to urban and rural populations.Whatever the differences or similarities in perspective, the point is that active dialogue and collaborative actionis required for us to realize Africa’s possibilities. All of us with a passion for Africa are presented with a wonderfulopportunity to work together to make a genuine difference. The time and place for Africa’s future is here and now. Weare the generation of leaders that have to seize the opportunity and make it happen.