Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
52
Africa’s Natural Assets:
The Struggle for
Sustainability
During the past decade, African countries have experienced
a widespread economic boom, six of the world’s ten fastest-
growing countries have been African, and in eight of the past
ten years, Africa has grown faster than East Asia. The rate of
foreign investment has soared to almost tenfold in this period.
This growth has been driven by a range of factors, including
a reduction in regional conflicts, greater political stability
and democratization, and new technologies such as mobile
communications, which have transformative implications
for rural African societies. Perhaps the most important driver,
By Fred Nelson
Inside ...
aFrica