Politics that didn't Happen

At the beginning of 2015, against recomendations from the IMF, and despite an American veto, the UN decided to abolish the debts of all African nations.
In the years that followed, Africa went through a renaissance. Infrastructure, education and healthcare made amazing progress in very little time, and the economy quickly became independant from western powers. Under chinese influence, the African countries made sure to incorporate low-emissions and overall ecoogical considerations into their growth, and managed to quadruple GDP without significantly raising their emission levels.
In the meantime, the west suffered a heavy crisis, not so much because of the lost income from the abolished debts, but because of the increasing price of ressources that could before be bought for cheap from Africa. Western economies all but collapsed, and even now, they are still struggling with the aftermath of Africa rising.