Economic Development in Africa 2004

In the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the international community has set itself a target of reducing poverty by half by the year 2015. Many observers have now come to the conclusion that, on present trends, there is very little likelihood that this objective can be achieved at any time close to that date in the poorer countries, including in Africa. The continent’s debt problems and its resource requirements are inextricably linked to the capacity of African countries to generate capital accumulation and growth. The current study questions Africa’s debt sustainability and tries to put these and other related issues in perspective making a number of recommendations on how to deal with Africa’s debt overhang, either through the adoption of new approaches or a major revision and improvement of present debt relief policies.