There are at least three postings all concerning economic prospects for
African economies in the 21st century and all with a different slant. Take
the one culled from the BBC, to which I have already replied. It makes
dismal reading, the "gloom and doom" scenerio which, as those in the news
media very well know, sells papers. Not that the figures are inaccurate but
they have been selectively treated in isolation from the broader framework.
Looking at it from a slightly different perspective, African economies in
the past year have registered some encouraging performances despite the
difficult economic climate characterised by natural and man-made
calamities, including inappropriate policies. Several countries have
registered
GDP growth rates above 5 percentage points, well above their
respective population growth rates-a prerequisite for poverty reduction.
For example, Mozambique's economy grew by 9.7 percent, the highest in
Africa, and was poised to register one of the highest growth rate in the
world in 2000, had it not been for this year's floods which devastated its
economic infrastructure. The economies of Botswana, Ghana, Mali, Gambia,
Ethiopia, Cape Verde and over a dozen others grew by 4 percent or more in
1999.
All this to say what? The African media should provide equal time and space
to the bright spots in the African economic landscape.

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