There is a growing call for the reforms of the global financial architecture to ensure adequate resources are mobilized to finance development (broadly defined) including the SDGs. But such demands/calls for reforms tend to omit the salient realities of developing countries. Like many poor Asian economies, Africa is presented as a poor and risky continent. Using the African example, the chapter argues that such presentations are based on misperceptions including the role played by rating agencies. In fact, Africa loses significant amount of resources dues to factors such as illicit financial flows and any reforms of the global financial architecture needs to address themselves to this reality.