Leading economist and co-author of “The Fastest Billion: The Story Behind Africa’s Economic Revolution,” Dr. Charles Robertson, visited Ashesi to give a guest lecture on the emergence of Africa as a thriving economic power.
The lecture, a summary of the book, focused on Africa’s diverse economies, and the different factors – education, banking and democracy, among others – that are driving the continent’s growth.
According to Dr. Robertson, “we can see that across Africa, growth rates of 6-8% since the turn of this century have already underpinned a sharp rise in global portfolio interest in Africa, a vast increase of investment and a remarkable rise in per capita GDP. But the best is yet to come.”
The lecture also featured a panel discussion between Dr. Robertson, Yvonne Mhango (co-author of “The Fastest Billion”) and Dr. Joe Abbey (leading Ghanaian economist and Director of Centre for Policy Analysis). The panel debated the accuracy of the projections and analyses in the “The Fastest Billion,” allowing students, staff and faculty to also share their opinions on what they believed Africa needed to start doing to meet its expectations.
“This lecture has been incredibly educative for us,” said Prof. Stephen Armah, Economics lecturer at Ashesi, who moderated the event. “The ‘Fastest Billion’ is a great book, and I am excited that more people will continue to hear about the economic potential of Africa.”
Over the past decade, the scope of Dr. Robertson’s work has covered, among other topics: quantifying political risk in emerging markets; the revolutionary nature of growth in countries with nondemocratic governments; and the fact that Africa’s economies are now returning some of the highest growth rates on Earth, and how this trend is set to play out.
The book, 'The Fastest Billion’, draws on the expertise of African economists, analysts from Renaissance Capital and leading emerging market investment banks, and frames discussions of Africa's future in terms of its booming economic growth and its opportunities.
All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to support Ashesi's mission and vision.