Enough Promises: Africa Needs to Set Priorities

The report identifies a disconnect between government priorities and the needs of the business sector in Africa, highlighting corruption and infrastructure failure as primary barriers to growth. Based on dialogues with 56 business organisations and five studies, it asserts that stability in Africa is dependent on prosperity, which requires improvements in property rights, the rule of law, and power reliability.

• There is a consensus that corruption, the rule of law, and infrastructure neglect are primary concerns for businesses, though these are often not top priorities for governments. Data from eAfrica interviews shows that 52% of organisations found it necessary to pay bribes to start a new business, and 51% experienced weekly electricity failures, with 12.5% reporting daily blackouts.
• The document posits that while stability can lead to prosperity, in the African context, stability is actually dependent on prosperity. It argues that industry and human capital are essential building blocks for stability, without which the continent faces ongoing threats of conflict and marginalisation.
• To accelerate development, the document suggests that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) should prioritise specific business needs, including property rights, honest courts, streamlined regulations, access to credit, and a dependable power grid.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). Enough Promises: Africa Needs to Set Priorities. https://saiia.org.za/research/enough-promises-africa-needs-to-set-priorities/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Enough Promises: Africa Needs to Set Priorities. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/enough-promises-africa-needs-to-set-priorities/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Enough Promises: Africa Needs to Set Priorities |date=28 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/enough-promises-africa-needs-to-set-priorities/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008enough, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Enough Promises: Africa Needs to Set Priorities}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/enough-promises-africa-needs-to-set-priorities/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }