Abstract
This paper makes the argument that fragile states can overcome economic vulnerability through quality of governance and that investment in capacity development, however small, is what differentiates those states with visible development results from those which despite having abundant natural resources have challenges translating wealth or economic gains from natural resources to development results.
Fragility can manifest itself in many different ways and therefore pockets of fragility can exist in otherwise stable countries, where for instance, growing access to information and changing expectations among constituents reveal cracks in the social contract between the State and Society. Using the 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance and the 2013 Africa Capacity Indicators Report, the paper explores the rankings of Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Angola, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Even though some of these countries have low rankings in terms of governance, those that have invested in developing institutional and individual capacities both financially and in terms of policy allocation have been able to register improvement in creating a policy environment conducive for development and sustainable economic opportunities.
