Enough Promises: Africa Needs to Set Priorities

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) has failed to translate the identification of problems into actionable solutions. Based on dialogues with 56 business organisations and five studies, the text asserts that government priorities are misaligned with business needs, specifically regarding corruption and infrastructure, and argues that economic prosperity is a prerequisite for long-term political stability in Africa.

• The New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) has been more successful at identifying problems than creating the capacity or direction needed to solve them, necessitating a sharper set of priorities to achieve sustainable growth.
• There is a disconnect between government priorities and the primary concerns of the business community, which include corruption, the rule of law, and infrastructure neglect. Specifically, 52% of interviewed organisations reported that bribes are necessary to start a new business, and 51% experienced weekly electricity failures, with 12.5% (1 in 8) facing daily blackouts.
• While there is cautious optimism due to peace deals in several nations and upcoming elections, the report argues that stability in Africa is dependent on prosperity. To avoid conflict and marginalisation, the continent must prioritise industry and human capital through property rights, honest courts, streamlined regulations, credit access, and a reliable 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} }