This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008.

I'm Caleb Brown.

Africa is advancing.

The stories of advancement aren't great.

They're just better than much of Africa's recent history.

But for many countries that are advancing in Africa, foreign aid can be a damaging force.

So says African journalist and documentary filmmaker Andrew Muwenda,

we spoke following a policy forum on the state of freedom in Africa,

dealt yesterday. I think that Africa is in a process of change, and that process is moving very fast.

Along the way, it tends to exhibit so many things, like you hear journalists being arrested,

but it is simply because they're trying to express themselves freely.

The main African governments have learned the danger of state-controlled economies.

So there is a lot of liberalization of the economy.

Telecommunication and banking are one of the sectors that have been liberalized.

The penetration of the mobile phone in Africa is unprecedented.

Africa right now is enjoying the fastest growth in ownership and use of mobile phones in the world.

For the last two years Africa's stock markets have been the most profitable of any stock market in the world.

So there is a lot of positive change that is taking place that is largely unrecognized.

Africa's economy is already now growing at an average of about 7%.

That is 2008.

2007, sub-Saharan Africa grew by 6.5%.

The previous year by 6%. Of course, economic success goes to those who grow over, who sustain

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