Metrics Of Meaning: Why Gdp Is No Longer Enough For Africa

At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development FfD4, the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, called for a radical rethink of global development cooperation-and with it, a fundamental reappraisal of how progress is measured.

Speaking during the high-level side event, "New Approaches for a Renewed International Cooperation: Coalition of the Willing on Beyond GDP," Bekele-Thomas argued that the time had come to move past conventional growth indicators like Gross Domestic Product GDP, and towards more holistic metrics grounded in dignity, sustainability and shared prosperity.

Placing the Beyond GDP agenda at the core of Africa's continental priorities, Bekele-Thomas acknowledged the value of historic growth models but argued that traditional indicators like Gross Domestic Product GDP fail to capture the full story of African societies. In particular, they overlook the value embedded in informal economies, community networks and indigenous knowledge systems.

"The old models no longer serve. GDP alone cannot define the richness of our societies or the aspirations of our people," she said. "The Beyond GDP agenda does not reject the past-it demands that we build forward with humility and courage."

Her remarks aligned closely with Africa's own continental blueprint-Agenda 2063-which prioritises inclusive growth, environmental sustainability and human development over conventional economic metrics.