The African Economy 2021

So far, Africa has thwarted the predominantly pessimistic forecasts regarding its capacity to withstand Covid-19. Beset with the presumption of fragility, the continent has nonetheless demonstrated its resilience, buoyed by its youthful population, its leaders’ responsiveness and its experience with pandemics. This contrast confirms the persistent mismatch between how Africa is perceived and the changes happening there, and this needs to challenge the view that we have of the continent. One of the aims of this new edition of L’économie africaine, designed by Éditions La Découverte and the Agence française développement (AFD), is to provide readers with the keys to a deeper understanding of the dynamics operating in Africa.

This document is a translation of the introduction and chapter 1 of the book L'économie africaine 2021 published by La Découverte in January 2021.