Several African countries score very well when tested for characteristics of flourishing, better even than the US, Sweden and the UK. They are Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Egypt.

But what exactly is flourishing? And how is it measured? Questions for Dr VICTOR COUNTED, Associate professor at Regent University in the US. His research has revealed the shortcomings of the current idea of well-being which are heavily based on western values. There is an emphasis on the individual - job satisfaction, wealth, status etc. REAL well-being however, he says, should include how you relate to the people around you, the context in which you live, how valued you feel by your community etc areas in which African countries tend to perform well. It's about more than GDP.

So how can these positive indices be used to enhance the view of African countries? Development goals, Dr COUNTED says, should be adapted to harness the positive attributes of African life and policies tailored to fit individual countries, working to their strengths.

Find out more about Dr Counted's work:

DR VICTOR COUNTED, THE HUMAN FLOURISHING PROGRAMME

www.vcounted.com

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