African futures: Challenges, achievements and the way forward

Abstract

African Futures, a project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was established in 1991 with the main objective of assisting African countries to prepare their national long-term perspectives studies (NLTPS) as a basis for their development management. The project accomplishes this objective by sensitizing decision makers to the need for strategic thinking and action, organizes courses, and assists national teams to prepare their studies by providing methodological support as well as information on global and regional scenarios. This article explains the challenges involved in promoting long-term strategic thinking in Africa, presents the scope of work carried out, and proposes complementary roles for the various stakeholders in ensuring the success of the project.