Africa 2025: What Possible Futures For Sub-Saharan Africa?

Africa 2025 does not claim to know what Africa will be like tomorrow. The objective is to explore possible futures for sub-saharan Africa. More than a thousand Africans, in 46 countries, women and men, Anglophone and francophone, and from very different backgrounds, were involved in this exploration. They first determined the status quo in Africa at the dawn of the 21st century, and then they constructed four scenarios for the next 25 years. These scenarios were given metaphorical names: the lions are trapped, the lions are hungry, the lions come out of their den, and the lions mark their territory. In each case, there is a consideration of the conditions that must be in place for these scenarios to become reality.

At the time of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the birth of the African Union, Africans - and in particular politicians, non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs, opinion makers, and religious leaders - must choose their path and accept their responsibilities. The projected possible futures described by Africa 2025 will guide them, and will also be helpful to people from other continents who would like to help Africa to progress in the direction it chooses.