This publication examines whether the improvements in economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa since the mid 1990s are sustainable and explores which strategies have been most effective in contributing to poverty reduction objectives. Topics considered include: key factors which have contributed to the recent improvement in growth performance; differences in performance across subgroups and countries in the region; incidence and timing of growth accelerations; links with changes in fiscal policy and financial development, economic infrastructure and political institutions; and lessons on the macroeconomic policies that have proved most effective for raising the incomes of the poor.