What will be the first developed country in mainland Africa?
The World Bank classifies a grand total of two African countries as being “high-income economies” — Mauritius and Seychelles. Neither are typical of the continent since they are both island nations in the Indian Ocean, over 1,500 kilometers away from the African mainland. They both rely heavily on tourism.
Nevertheless, they are African countries, and they are developed: well-equipped hospitals, stable governments, universal education, and functional public transport systems. In short, they are successes, which is a very important thing to acknowledge.
Africa is the poorest continent, and to the outside world, it has become almost synonymous with poverty and war. The reasons for its problems are well understood (European colonialism, frequent natural disasters, disease, etc), although actually solving these problems has proven to be far more difficult. All too often, countries seemingly on a path to prosperity have suffered from military coups, civil wars, rigged elections, famines, and a host of other problems. It’s easy to lose faith; many international onlookers complain that after decades of international aid, debt relief, and investment, much…
