Who is attending

Not invited to the summit

Leaders of only a few African countries were not invited to the summit: the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone are at home dealing with the Ebola virus outbreak.

Political regime

Democratic

Democratic Other, including countries controlled by elites who compete for power

Other, including countries controlled by elites who compete for power Autocratic, or governed by one person with absolute power

The type of political regime tells whether political power rests on widespread participation or is wielded by only one person or a few. More-democratic regimes often are associated with broader personal freedom, as well as increased economic mobility.