Critics who argue globalization does not lift all boats, often point to the African continent for examples of economies left behind…or worse.  In this interview, Paul Collier, director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies and professor of economics at Oxford, discusses the factors—internal and external—that have prevented nations in Africa from economic growth.  Collier says the treatment of Africa as one entity is a common mistake.  He divides the continent up into three large groups—the nations with resources; the nations without resources but on a coast; and the landlocked nations without resources.  The coastal nations would seem poised to first take advantage of globalization, and Mauritius serves as THE example of an African country that built itself up in the global economy.  Other nations have not been able to copy the success (Madagascar was close, but recent political strife blocked progress). 

The big opportunity for African nations to break into global markets, Collier says, was back in the 1980s.  Now, after the growth of China in the manufacturing sector, and India in the service sector, developing nations are not facing a level playing field.  So trade pacts with Europe and the US are vital at this point.  As are the contributions of NGOs—the work of which Collier praises as one of the ways globalization has aided struggling African economies.