Seventeen African countries marked their 50th year of independence. We marked 10 years of pursuing the Millennium Development Goals. These events present a great opportunity to take stock of the continent, where we are and where we are going to.
The picture is largely optimistic. Since independence, the continent has undergone significant transformations.Almost every country in Africa has now instituted multiparty democracy. We are now witnessing a significant growth of the African middle class, set to drive economic development and also demand political change where appropriate. The telecoms revolution, in which I have played some role, has already transformed the continent, allowing us to advance in leaps and bounds. Africa's average growth, after the recent crisis, is now almost five times the Euro zone average growth, according to IMF latest update on World Economic Outlooks. At the beginning of this new century, dynamics and drive are in Africa.
