This report provides a comparative analysis of the economic prospects of 22 African countries, and also reviews the short to medium term prospects for the continent as a whole, set against developments in the world economy. Among its key conclusions, the report finds that Africa's economic performance continues the trends observed over the last five years, although there are considerable variations among countries. While prospects for 2003 are better than that of the previous year, they are unlikely to represent a sharp rise in the region's average growth rate. In the future, African countries should continue with their reform efforts, in order to lay the economic, institutional and social foundations required for rapid economic growth; whilst the its development partners need to support these efforts through increased aid flows, debt reduction and improved market access. This publication is a joint project between the African Development Bank and the OECD Development Centre.