Once Upon a Time… The Story of “Africa Rising”

Abstract

Not only has the current model of growth promotion so far been unsuccessful in generating sustainable developmental outcomes, it has made things worse regarding issues such as equality, the environment and Africa’s dependent status within the global political economy. The much-vaunted recent economic growth in Africa, which is what the “Africa Rising” narrative is fundamentally predicated upon, is based on trade in resources, not production. The economic advantages of current trade accrue to the accumulation centres outside of Africa. The result is that the role of Africa is being reified as a source of cheap raw materials, exported to feed external economies and/or processed up the value chain into finished products. In this context, the story of “Africa Rising” is just that, a story