A New Global Partnership with Business: Delivering the Post- 2015 Development Agenda

Abstract

In 2000, Sub-Saharan Africa was deemed to be too risky for many to invest in. Today, the continent has entered the investment mainstream. Africa's growth is increasingly broad-based and domestically driven. Around a third of GDP growth is generated in the natural resources sector, with the rest coming from a range of other sectors such as manufacturing, construction and services. Growing domestic consumption and a burgeoning middle class are creating a boom across the retail, technology and financial services sectors, further enabling economic diversification, job creation and growth. As policy makers and businesses intensify their focus on encouraging more inclusive and sustainable growth across the region, a growing number of businesses are moving beyond traditional philanthropic and social investment approaches to doing their core business in ways that directly benefit both the poor and their own strategic and competitive business goals.