Just two African countries stand out for their consistently strong long-run economic performance. Botswana and Mauritius succeeded in achieving real per capita GDP growth of 5.3% and 3.7% respectively between 1960 and 2000, compared with an average of 0.8% a year in sub-Saharan Africa, 2.7% in industrialised countries and 2.3% for all developing countries over the same period.
The question on the minds of economists and policy-makers is why. Do these countries offer a development blueprint that can be applied elsewhere on the continent? Or do they possess a uniqueness that precludes other African states from replicating their success?
