The Challenge Of African Economic Recovery And Development

A special session of the UN General Assembly was held in Abuja, the new Nigerian capital in May 1988. This volume reproduces the major papers, lines of discussion and conclusions of the conference.

Nine world-class experts on the African economy share their knowledge regarding the potential for real improvement and growth in food production and the development of grassroots economies that will benefit citizens as well as governments. Economic models that assume good incentives, infrastructure, entrepreneurial skills, and a level trading field cannot be invoked. Structural adjustment in African countries has led to unintended consequences because the common people and the small farmers have not been consulted. Domestic food production, the crux of Africa's economic problem, has been downgraded because of the emphasis on export crops. To develop self-sufficiency and food security, African nations must mobilize domestic resources, improve the human resource capacity, and strengthen their scientific and technological bases. They must also cooperate in integration schemes rather than compete for the available Western aid.

Using a variety of tools from various disciplines, Sustainable Development in Africa examines factors limiting sustainable development in Africa. Among the recommendations made to remedy the situation is the call for a more holistic approach to the problem, resolving the urban crisis that is central to African economic recovery and to develop a new security system that transcends the narrow military focus security.

The waning of the Cold War means that major political powers no longer feel compelled to support African authoritarianism. Revised official consensus holds that, in Africa as elsewhere, political reform must accompany economic adjustment. According to this view, African recovery requires a reduction in the size and economic role of monopolistic and inefficient states, and their transformation into accountable liberal democracies. Is this a desirable and practicable political programme? Certainly, all over Africa the number of liberal democracies is growing. But can they survive and are they compatible with renewed economic growth? Richard Sandbrook answers these questions, and assesses the feasibility of the new political programme in reinforcing Africa's economic recovery. He argues that the programme has merit in the short term, but, in the longer term, a more self-reliant, state-directed approach should be adopted to ensure prosperity and durable democracy in the region.

The first analysis of the 1994 genocide written by a Rwandan national. Kimanuka examines Rwanda's survival from being a "failed state", looking at how leaders' bold decisions and the commitment of the Rwandan people led to reform programs and economic recovery. Wider conversation of Africa's general development challenges are also explored.