Answers to Africa's problems increasingly lie with spirituality rather than politics

While Africa may be struggling to integrate into the global economy, its integration into the global religions is gathering apace. The astonishing growth of Pentecostal churches throughout Africa is being driven by US evangelical missionaries and their wallets. Meanwhile, the Saudis and Kuwaitis are pouring huge sums into Muslim communities across Africa. Known Saudi aid transfers to the continent amount to $1bn a year (the real figure could be much higher), which is not far from the British level of aid. Yet this is rarely acknowledged in the west.