In the world media Africa is often portrayed in terms of crisis and emergency. Yet in many parts of Southern Africa there are notable success stories: poltiically stable nation-states with growing economies and functioning economies.
One of these places is Namibia, the location for a conference held in August 2009 on the theme, Southern Africa: 2020 Vision. The conference brought together academics, civil society activists, politicians and business people from Namibia, South Africa and Europe to consider topics in four areas: economic development; healthcare; democracy and governance; and legal and civil rights.
The presentations from the conference are collected in this volume, which provides a rich and varied account of the current state of, and challenge for the region. Over the next decade one of the principal challenges will be to establish structures that ensure that the political and economic benefits of growth are spread widely among the citizens.
