1

A statement by Trevor Manuel, Minister in the Presidency for National Planning, delivered on 18 September 2009, discussing Africa's economic vulnerabilities and the need for the continent to strengthen its regional integration and institutional capacity to effectively influence global governance reform.

• Africa is the world's poorest region, with a GDP of just over $2 trillion in 2006. While growth has averaged 4.8 per cent since the turn of the century, reaching 5.2 per cent in 2007, this has not yet provided a sustainable platform for reducing poverty and inequality.
• The continent exhibits extreme vulnerability to economic, political, and environmental shocks. Specifically, 44 African countries suffered natural disasters in the last 10 years, 28 are potentially vulnerable to aid shocks, 24 are very vulnerable to export shocks due to high dependency on a single product, and at least 13 suffered foreign private capital crises in the last decade.
• Poor infrastructure, often a legacy of colonialism designed to move commodities to coasts rather than between neighbors, severely hinders growth. This results in transport costs that are approximately twice as high as those in typical Asian countries.
• The 2008 global economic crisis highlighted a gap where globalisation occurred without corresponding global governance frameworks. While the G20 has emerged as a major player in coordination and climate change talks, the G7 has lost importance and the UN lacks the credibility or mechanisms to tackle the crisis.
• Africa's representation in global governance is fragmented and unclear. In the G20, Africa is represented only by South Africa, and it is uncertain whether South Africa represents itself, the continent, or poor countries in general.
• To increase its influence in global politics, Africa must improve regional economic integration and increase intra-African trade from its current level of 10.4%. The preferred approach among heads of state is to strengthen regional economic communities as per the Abuja Declaration, rather than creating a 'United States of Africa'.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (n.d.). 1. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Africa-as-an-actor-in-global-governance-reform-for-development.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. 1. n.d. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Africa-as-an-actor-in-global-governance-reform-for-development.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=1 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Africa-as-an-actor-in-global-governance-reform-for-development.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairsnd, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{1}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Africa-as-an-actor-in-global-governance-reform-for-development.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }