ABSTRACT
The fundamentals for Africa’s economic prospects are present and intact. Africa must be concerned by the rise of populist nationalism in several parts of the world, more so with the election of Trump in the USA and the departure of Britain from the European Union – commonly known as Brexit. Africa also needs a new development compact that taps into the energy of the its people and brings the private and public sectors and the wider community in shaping and operationalising the structural transformation agenda. Historically, global financial institutions enforced neoliberal policies in the form of structural adjustment on African economies, despite the potential dangers of opening up to globalised markets. Africa’s growth was made possible by a combination of internal and external factors. Megatrends such as demographic, technological, and environmental changes have been crucial for the transformation of the continent’s future.
