Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

1. Despite Africa's considerable progress in economic growth, both income and wealth inequalities remain high
2. While income inequalities have decreased across all African sub-regions, the reduction remains modest
3. Out of the top 20 most unequal countries in the world, 9 are African, mainly resource-rich countries such as South Africa or Botswana
4. International comparisons place the African continent as the world's second most unequal region, after Latin America
5. Inequality in African countries is a complex phenomenon, as it reflects gender and regional inequality as well as social/income inequality
6. Concentration of income and wealth tends to limit social mobility and perpetuate high levels of inequality
7. Excessive levels of inequality could undermine economic growth and social cohesion in several African countries
8. The succession of crises and future shocks, including climate change and those linked to the new technological revolution, are likely to accentuate already high levels of inequality and increase the risk of social unrest in Africa
9. International evidence shows that governments can do a lot to reduce inequality, or to increase it
10. Some broad areas for policy interventions