In "Africa Unchained", George Ayittey takes a controversial look at Africa's future and makes a number of daring suggestions. Looking at how Africa can modernize, build and improve their indigenous institutions which have been castigated by African leaders as "backward and primitive", Ayittey argues that Africa should build and expand upon these traditions of free markets and free trade. Asking why the poorest Africans haven't been able to prosper in the 21st century, Ayittey makes the answer obvious: their economic freedom was snatched from them. War and conflict replaced peace and the infrastructure crumbled. In this book Ayittey looks at the possibilities for indigenous structures to revive a troubled continent.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION - WHY AFRICA IS POOR: The African Paradox Atinga - The African Peasant; Angry Peasants Fighting Back; More Angry Voices; Economic Retrogression; Africa's Salvation and Future; Plan of Book. A CENTURY LOST: The Dawn of the New Century; Dysfunctional States. TACKLING AFRICA'S CRISES: Establishing the "Enabling Environment"; Tackling Persistent Crises. COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP FAILURE: The Blame Game; Kokonut Reform - Progress Report; Combating AIDS - Utter Leadership Failure; Tackling Other Issues; Shameful Response to Zimbabwe's Crisis; Africa's Predicament; Ayittey's Laws of African Misgovernance. POST-COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT - THE ELITE MODEL: The Shibboleth of Development Ideologies for Africa's post-colonial Development; Strategies for Development. THE FIRST GENERATIONAL PROBLEMS: The Predatory State; Failed Industrialization; Drive Development Financing - The Huge Resource Gap. (Part contents.)

Author Biography

GEORGE B.N. AYITTEY is Distinguished Economist in Residence at George Washington University. He is the author of Africa Betrayed and Africa in Chaos (both Palgrave Macmillan).