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IntroductionThe statements in this cluster differ significantly from others becausethey focus specifically on the global economic and financialcrisis, which emerged towards the end of the first decade of the Millennium.For several years, the economic performance of African countrieswas impressive, with growth averaging over 5% per annum. As cooperationwith the continent’s development partners as well as therenewed push of nations for development and the gains of globalisationbegan to make an impact, it seemed that the high hopes at thebeginning of the Millennium would yield fruit.On the basis of that confidence, African nations were looking at waysof scaling up their efforts in order to meet the set targets, such asthe Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), because it was clear thatdespite the progress that was being made, much more needed to bedone.In 2008, however, those calculations changed when the food and fuelcrisis set in, threatening not only the ability of African nations to meetMDG targets, but even the macroeconomic gains they had made. Asthough that was not enough of a new challenge, the food and fuel crisiswas followed in short order by a devastating global economic andfinancial crisis, the world’s worst since the Great Depression.Integrating Africa181