With a projected growth rate of just over 3 per cent for the next decade, Africa's fortunes are unlikely to improve. This figure, marginally above population growth, is only half the target set by the United Nations 10 years ago to tackle the economic and social challenges of the continent. A new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development says that two decades of sub-standard growth have hit the poorest fifth the hardest, their incomes dropping by 2 per cent a year.