Books
Why Africa is Poor: And What Africans Can Do About It?
Acclaim for Why Africa is Poor: And What Africans Can Do About It?
“Poverty is now optional is Greg Mills' invigorating message.”
“Wish I had written this! It should become required reading for anyone working in and on Africa.”
“Mills' volume illustrates that simplicity is excellence.”
“Drawing on rich personal experience, Mills reminds us that Africa's problems are not unique. His book forces us to raise our eyes, our standards, and also our hopes that Africa can triumph over adversity.”
Economic growth does not demand a secret formula. Good development examples now abound in East Asia and farther afield in others parts of Asia, and in Central America.
But why then has Africa failed to realise its potential in half a century of independence? This book shows that African poverty is not because the world has denied the continent the market and financial means to compete: far from it. It has not been because of aid per se. Nor is African poverty solely a consequence of poor infrastructure or trade access, or because the necessary development and technical expertise is unavailable internationally. Why then has the continent lagged behind other developing areas when its people work hard and the continent is blessed with abundant natural resources?
Stomping across the continent and the developing world in search of the answer, Greg Mills controversially shows that the main reason why Africa's people are poor is because their leaders have made this choice.
