The document discusses the positive and negative influences of scholars, analysts, and international news media on Africa's economic development programs. It notes that media coverage has both encouraged global awareness of issues in Africa but also sometimes perpetuated negative stereotypes. International organizations like the IMF and World Bank introduced structural adjustment programs in over 40 African countries that have been associated with increasing food insecurity, declining health services, and rising poverty. While the goals were to stabilize economies and restructure markets, the programs had unintended negative consequences for many Africans. In recent decades, some scholars argue there has been a shift with some African nations emerging as part of a "New Africa Rising."