Linking Africa's future to rising India and China Based on a new World Bank study titled "Africa's Silk Road," I'm happy to report that recent economic developments in Africa are both real and indicative of tremendous opportunity. I know you've heard a lot about Africa's "resurgence" lately, but these developments are truly market-driven and not merely the result of outsiders' good intentions. As economist Paul Collier likes to say, it's important to distinguish between the development "biz," or the world of official development aid, and development "buzz," or the periodic rush of celebrity interest. Both are worthy in their own ways but largely ineffectual over the long haul in that they treat symptoms more than disease. While it's crucial to respond to humanitarian crises, such resource flows tend to evaporate once the triggering events die down.