There is a consensus that, despite economic reform, the national market should still be protected. And a system of complementarity has developed between business and state - so far to the satisfaction of most. The cameras are everywhere. On streets, in railway stations, banks, shopping malls and car parks. They may have their use in reducing crime, but there are dangers of abuse.
Video surveillance can be a preventative device, but also a more sinister control mechanism.
Pictures and sound recordings of people are now defined as personal data - for which proper protection is required. For a start, people must be warned when and where they are being filmed. For safeguarding individual rights is crucial if a proper balance is to be struck between our freedom and our security. Just as the ex-colonial powers are apparently retiring from the scene, at a loss to come up with any constructive ideas, the United States is starting to focus on the continent as one of the last virgin territories for US investors. As economies are growing, Africa is now ripe for integration into the US-style market economy.