Sub-Saharan Africa, consists of 48 countries and boasts a population of over 800 million people. That's almost triple the population of the United States' 300 million.

Between 1992 and 2002, the capitalization of African stock markets more than doubled from $113 billion to $245 billion.

Just prior to the global financial meltdown, the IMF estimated GDP growth in the region would hit 6.6 per cent in 2010. That meant that if you take India and China out of the equation, sub-Saharan Africa actually is growing faster than Asia.

The growth in sub-Saharan Africa can also be gauged by the fact that the IMF upgraded many countries in the region – Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia – to the rank of "emerging markets

Undoubtedly, Africa's progress during the past few years has been remarkable.