There is little question that the ‘Africa Rising’ narrative is gaining welcome attention. Still, there are many worrying developments across the continent. Conflict in South Sudan and the Central African Republic provide a sobering reminder of the miserable reality in which many of Africa’s citizens find themselves. The kidnapping of nearly 200 teenage girls in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Chibok offers a similarly bleak counterbalance to the news of the West African country’s ascendency as the continent’s largest economy.