Imagine a continent torn by multiple wars, beset by ethnic and religious warfare, malnutrition, disease and illiteracy-all of it complicated by poorly drawn borders, a still potent post-colonial stigma and the incessant meddling of outside powers.
With a single exception, per capita income hovers at $400, primary school education reaches only a fraction of the region's vast population, and its authoritarian rulers ensure any revenue generated by the region's rich natural resources is spent on personal, rather than national priorities. Prospects for pulling the multitudes who live at, or just above, subsistence levels seem remote, at best.