Will Africa’s recuperative powers have dispelled the shadows of historically imposed predicaments by the end of the century? This is the question posed to this group of scholars from all over Africa and the diaspora. Their comments cover a range of issues, from knowledge and its transformation to the need to manage natural resources. Viewing the economy through the lens of actual livelihoods, however, it is clear is that colonial legacies continue to circumscribe many of the hopes and aspirations of new democracies in Africa.