SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The recent sustained growth posted by sub-Saharan African countries has led to a surge in investment flows and given rise to high hopes for Africa’s future prospects at the backdrop of the narratives of ‘Africa Rising’. The growth has produced a reduction of 10 percentage points in the headcount ratio of the extreme poor in the first decade of the 21st century, indicating that the high pace of growth has started making a difference to the poor. However, this achievement amounts to a mere 3 percentage points of reduction in the same poverty ratio over 30 years between 1981 and 2010. To maintain the momentum that has just begun, it is important to translate firmly the euphoria surrounding the ‘Africa Rising’ narrative into a solid reality of inclusive development. By tracing an evolution of the poverty profile and introducing the scope and the outline of the volume, this introductory chapter discusses unprecedented opportunities, as well as formidable challenges, in ensuring pro-poor growth and pro-growth poverty reduction, overcoming fragility and vulnerability, and securing inclusive development through socio-economic transformation in SSA.