Africa’s path to sustained growth demands more than economic expansion — it calls for a deep, inclusive, and resilient transformation.
At the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), we define transformation as Growth with DEPTH — Diversification, Export competitiveness, Productivity increases, Technology upgrading, and Human well-being.
Through the African Transformation Index (ATI), ACET tracks how African countries are progressing across these five pillars. The latest edition, released in 2023, covers 30 countries representing over 86% of the continent’s GDP, extending the analysis from 2000–2020 to capture the impact of major global shocks — from the commodity downturn and COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine.
The findings are clear: Africa’s transformation journey has slowed, its gains tested by crises that reveal a deeper need for resilience, sustainability, and institutional strength. As the continent faces recurring climate threats and structural vulnerabilities, ACET is reimagining its transformation framework — DEPTH 2.0 — to integrate resilience, environmental sustainability, gender, and youth inclusion into how we measure and advance economic transformation.
This next phase of the African Transformation Index builds on a decade of research and insights, providing policymakers and partners with a renewed roadmap to build a better and greener future for Africa.
