Although the growth is occurring across several key economies including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Angola, Ghana, Zambia and Mozambique, there is little doubt that South Africa continues to be a major driver in the region. It is the country that many see as economically representative of the continent as a whole – or at least Sub Saharan Africa. However, South Africa is not a proxy for the way that Africa as a whole will play out. South Africa’s GDP growth has fluctuated and averaged around 2% over the past decade and is likely to continue on a similar trajectory for the next.

Other experts see that maybe the focus on GDP growth is only part of the view and one highly dependent on statistical data that is, when compared to other regions, very poor. They see that other measures are better indicators of the real progress that is taking place in Africa and highlight things such as life expectancy, infant mortality and energy consumption.

As global life expectancy has averaged 70 for the last decade, in Africa as a whole major improvement has been seen with a more than 10% rise from 49 to 55. This includes significant change in countries such as Zimbabwe where, despite economic turmoil, life expectancy has risen from 37 to 46. By 2030, average life expectancy across the continent will have climbed to 64 years. Meanwhile, infant mortality remains high at 81 deaths per 1000 population (compared to a global average of 42) – but this has dropped from 177 in 1990. At the same time, energy use per capita has grown significantly, from 500KWh in 1990 to around 600 KWh per capita in 2014. This, a key metric, is not far behind Asia but still at only 20% of Europe’s use.

Despite longstanding commercial ties with Europe, Africa now conducts half its trade with developing economic regions – the so-called “South–South” trade. China has the main doubled its share of trade to 17% over the last decade, and wider connections across Asia, South America and via the Middle East are all being developed. India has a 6% share of Africa’s trade and Brazil 3%. Both are expected to grow significantly and, with rising suspicion over China’s business practice, take over a chunk of China’s land-grab. Many see the significance of increased intra-African trade; bilateral agreements between nations with differing political standpoints but common growth agendas are linking with emergent cross-continent agreements, the growth of trading zones and increased investment in infrastructure. Many African nations remain flawed democracies or authoritarian regimes, but over the next few years, a number of breakaway countries will show economic and political progress, and barriers to trade will be lifted as infrastructure is improved.

By 2030, half the African population is projected to live in urban environments and the continent’s top 18 cities will have a combined consumer spending of around $1.3 trillion. In many African countries, urbanisation is boosting productivity (which rises as workers move from agricultural work into urban jobs), demand, and hence investment. Half of the region’s population is under 25 years of age. Each year between 2015 and 2035, there will be 500,000 more 15-year-olds than the year before. The challenge will be to transform this youth bulge into an opportunity.

Africa will undoubtedly become one of the world’s primary growth markets, the question here is one of timescales. Despite years of rapid economic growth, Africa’s middle class is still relatively tiny. The key question is; will there be significant change in the next decade or, like India, is it a longer period of transition?