The State of African Resilience: Understanding Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation

During the last decade, sub-Saharan Africa enjoyed unprecedented rates of economic growth, with new technologies, better governance, and increasing investment flows creating new opportunities for innovation and economic and human development. Yet across the continent, vulnerable populations continue to contend with recurrent crises and stresses that leave them in a cycle of fragility and risk, struggling to recover and unable to expand economic opportunities or to improve well-being. This report examines resilience from the perspective of vulnerable communities across Africa and identifies the most promising entry points for innovations that can increase resilience capacity.

Jennifer G. Cooke is director of the Africa Program at CSIS.