Africa’s "rise" and emergence have been capturing headlines and the attention of international policy analysts since at least the beginning of the decade. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the second fastest growing region in the world after Emerging and Developing Asia -- growing at an average of 5.1% in 2013 -- and the forecasts say it will remain so until the end of the decade. FDI flows into Sub-
Saharan Africa have more than trebled, from USD 12.3 billion in 2004 to USD 44.8 billion in 2013.

Beyond its track-record and immediate prospects for continued fast economic growth, the notion of Africa’s rise and emergence is premised on a core number of fundamentals that are expected to sustain growth and development in the region over the next few decades: its rapidly rising middle class; favorable population dynamics and prospects; a rich natural resource base, in terms of its vast mineral wealth; its embrace of information technologies; global growth and development trends and their prospects for trade and investment in Africa.