National Planning Agencies and Plans have become an established feature of the development planning architecture of the continent. From almost no comprehensive long-term plans in place in the continent 30 years ago to a situation where today at least 40 countries have active national development plans. Out of the 15 countries that have no long term plans in place, all have previous versions that have now expired, and all are working on their next iterations. Assessed purely from a perspective that considers the establishment of national planning institutions and their ability to produce long-term planning documents indeed, Africa is primed for success.
The reality, however, tells a very different story. Notwithstanding the developmental progress made across the continent, credible assessments point to a landscape of development still defined by the challenges of the past. High levels of poverty, education and health systems that are not adequately contributing to the required development of human capital, low productivity across economic sectors which undermine economic competitiveness and economies that remain reliant on extractive industries.
This presents an interesting dichotomy. Impressive progress made in development planning on one hand and poor development results on the other.