"Celebrations are in order on the poorest continent. Never in the half-century since it won independence from the colonial powers has Africa been in such good shape. Its economy is flourishing. (...)
Consumer spending will almost double in the next ten years; the number of countries with average incomes above $1,000 per person a year will grow from less than half of Africa’s 55 states to three-quarters. (...)
Their people could easily have better lives; abundant capital and technology offer big opportunities. The infrastructure is improving—only 5% of the 15,800 miles travelled for our special report was on unpaved roads—but the power grid is a disaster. On the whole, government officials should focus less on building things than getting out of the way. Useless regulations have created bottlenecks. East Africa’s main port in Mombasa is gummed up and land borders across the continent hold back lorries for days. Restrictions on employing migrants and on land ownership prevent businesses from expanding. Bureaucrats and customs officers inflate the cost of getting anything done. Shipping a car from China to Tanzania costs $4,000, but getting it from there to nearby Uganda can cost another $5,000."
Quando África merece estas palavras de uma publicação como a The Economist está mesmo de parabéns, apesar do artigo chegar um pouco tarde ao que acontece pelo continente há já um bom par de anos. Mais vale tarde que nunca...
Se os líderes africanos continuarem no bom caminho e aprenderem com os erros do hemisfério norte todos teremos motivos para sorrir. Assim seja.
Imagem e artigo completo aqui.
