This points to the importance of promoting regional cooperation and integration, of creating larger economic spaces which can serve as a launch pad for Africa to join the global economy. Finally, too few Africans are benefiting from their economies. So we need to accelerate growth of the type that will reduce poverty by creating jobs and spreading its benefits widely. After years of growing security, there is now open conflict in at least five African countries, and for the first time since independence, countries in the region are openly engaged in cross- border warfare. Twenty million Africans are refugees or displaced.
Nothing is more destructive of development than war.
Without peace, there can be no lasting improvement in the living standards of the people. And conflict itself is often the result of social tensions arising from low development, poor governance, injustice, corruption, and economic stagnation. So war and underdevelopment fuel a vicious circle. Africa s many successes continue to be hidden behind a collage of pictures of war, deprivation, and disease. This image has consequences for economic growth.