We have a mainstream economic literature that is able to explain why Africa is poor and not growing - the striking thing is that's not what is happening - African economies have been growing. Mainstream economics have absolutely no policy advice to African economies, which need advice about what to do with economic growth.

Economic historian Morten Jerven explains why Western economists have been so wrong on sub-Saharan Africa - from inadequate data and flawed models, to damaging Western-imposed liberalization efforts - and how economists can amplify Africa's growth by correcting their own flaws and focusing on the region's needs, not its deficiencies.

Morten's latest book is Africa: Why Economists Get it Wrong from Zed Books.