https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250716/gdp-is-a-blunt-tool-scholar-questions-what-progress-really-means-for-africa-1075626278.html
‘GDP is a Blunt Tool’: Scholar Questions What Progress Really Means for Africa
‘GDP is a Blunt Tool’: Scholar Questions What Progress Really Means for Africa
Sputnik Africa
In Africa, economic growth often steals the spotlight—but does it tell the full story of human progress? A new research-backed model is redefining what it... 16.07.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-07-16T15:18+0200
2025-07-16T15:18+0200
2025-07-16T15:18+0200
global south pole
podcasts
gdp
africa
lifestyle
life expectancy
happiness
world happiness report
nigeria
south africa
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.africa/img/07e9/07/10/1075633906_0:280:1280:1000_1920x0_80_0_0_6848a1ce87994498188949f1f73e671f.jpg
‘GDP is a Blunt Tool’: Scholar Questions What Progress Really Means for Africa
Sputnik Africa
In Africa, economic growth often steals the spotlight—but does it tell the full story of human progress? A new research-backed model is redefining what it means to flourish on the continent, shifting the focus from GDP to a richer, more grounded vision of well-being rooted in African realities and values.
This evolving narrative goes beyond surface-level financial statistics to examine the emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of life across African communities. It recognizes that metrics like GDP fail to capture what truly matters to people: their relationships, sense of purpose, inner peace, and cultural rootedness. By using indicators such as trust, belonging, and shared responsibility, researchers are surfacing a deeper truth: that flourishing in Africa is not simply about how much a nation produces, but how well its people live, connect, and thrive.
This evolving narrative goes beyond surface-level financial statistics to examine the emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of life across African communities. It recognizes that metrics like GDP fail to capture what truly matters to people: their relationships, sense of purpose, inner peace, and cultural rootedness. By using indicators such as trust, belonging, and shared responsibility, researchers are surfacing a deeper truth: that flourishing in Africa is not simply about how much a nation produces, but how well its people live, connect, and thrive.Speaking to Global South Pole, Dr. Victor Counted, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Regent University, who is at the forefront of this reimagining of well-being metrics, argues that GDP is far too blunt a tool to capture the complex social and cultural realities of African societies. He emphasized that by ignoring spiritual values, communal bonds, and everyday resilience, conventional measures of progress overlook what truly sustains life.Want to hear what flourishing really means for Africa? Catch the full conversation on the Global South Pole podcast, powered by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, and Mave Stream.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole.
africa
nigeria
south africa
senegal
kenya
central africa
sahel region
north africa
west
Sputnik Africa
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2025
Aliyu Bello
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.africa/img/07e8/03/1b/1065800114_0:0:584:584_100x100_80_0_0_62cad62dbf1189c4eb67480b8c84140f.png
Aliyu Bello
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.africa/img/07e8/03/1b/1065800114_0:0:584:584_100x100_80_0_0_62cad62dbf1189c4eb67480b8c84140f.png
News
en_EN
Sputnik Africa
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik Africa
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Aliyu Bello
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.africa/img/07e8/03/1b/1065800114_0:0:584:584_100x100_80_0_0_62cad62dbf1189c4eb67480b8c84140f.png
podcasts, gdp, africa, lifestyle, life expectancy, happiness, world happiness report, nigeria, south africa, senegal, kenya, central africa, sahel region, north africa, research, west, african union (au), african development bank (afdb), religion, аудио
podcasts, gdp, africa, lifestyle, life expectancy, happiness, world happiness report, nigeria, south africa, senegal, kenya, central africa, sahel region, north africa, research, west, african union (au), african development bank (afdb), religion, аудио
‘GDP is a Blunt Tool’: Scholar Questions What Progress Really Means for Africa
Aliyu Bello
Correspondent, Podcast Host
In Africa, economic growth often steals the spotlight—but does it tell the full story of human progress? A new research-backed model is redefining what it means to flourish on the continent, shifting the focus from GDP to a richer, more grounded vision of well-being rooted in African realities and values.
This evolving narrative goes beyond surface-level financial statistics to examine the emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of life across African communities. It recognizes that metrics like GDP fail to capture what truly matters to people: their relationships, sense of purpose, inner peace, and cultural rootedness. By using indicators such as trust, belonging, and shared responsibility, researchers are surfacing a deeper truth: that flourishing in Africa is not simply about how much a nation produces, but how well its people live, connect, and thrive.
Speaking to Global South Pole, Dr. Victor Counted, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Regent University, who is at the forefront of this reimagining of well-being metrics, argues that GDP is far too blunt a tool to capture the complex social and cultural realities of African societies. He emphasized that by ignoring spiritual values, communal bonds, and everyday resilience, conventional measures of progress overlook what truly sustains life.
“We needed an African or Africa-specific model because African values like Ubuntu, Ujamaa, Wazobia, all these sensibilities actually, in a sense, prioritize some kind of collective well-being. Most of them, interestingly, don't say so much about GDP. They kind of ignore it in some sense. If our sense of well-being [depends] on our collective interdependence, that has implications in terms of what we should focus on. Standard indexes […] like the GDP, for example, often overlook things like people's sense of spirituality and resilience. Yet these are really key sources of flourishing, especially within an African life or in Africa in itself,” Dr. Counted explained.
Want to hear what flourishing really means for Africa? Catch the full conversation on the Global South Pole podcast, powered by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole. 
