Having lived in Africa, I can tell you the continent is on the MOVE. Americans are completely out of touch with what is going on there. The Chinese are investing heavily in Africa. They see opportunity, and they are right. I used to fly all over the continent for an African Airline and half the airplane was Chinese businessmen. I'd go down to breakfast at my hotel and it seemed like most of the people in the restaurant were Chinese businessmen.
Does Africa have a lot of problems to fix? YES. Definitely. Are some African countries not growing economically and even moving backwards? Yes again. But many countries in Africa are seeing double digit growth of their economies each year, and their neighbors are recognizing that they can get on the band wagon or be left behind. Many African cities have many huge building projects underway. You get into a conversation with an African from one of these countries, and he'll say things like "it's our time", "it's our turn", etc with a big wide smile on his face. This is a different era for Africa. Trade-Not-Aid is the new catch phrase in much of Africa. Check out Dambisa Moyo videos on YouTube and you'll see the kind of optimism and professionalism that you see rising throughout the continent. Do they have a loooong way to go? Yes, but Africa is on the MOVE.