Economic Development in Africa Report – serie

The Economic Development in Africa Report 2024 examines optimal strategies for countries in Africa and the private sector to mitigate trade risks associated with the uncertainties created by this global polycrisis. The report focuses on the optimization of regional market benefits to strengthen market resilience to specific shocks and vulnerabilities and explores the diverse trade risks in Africa stemming from a host of economic, political, environmental, energy, technological and logistical challenges. The report underscores the importance of robust risk management, regional cooperation and strategic investments in infrastructure and technology. It also highlights best practices across the continent, showing how countries and businesses have effectively addressed these challenges to unlock new opportunities. By providing a detailed analysis of the trade environment, potential risks and de-risking strategies, this report aims to equip stakeholders with the insights needed for informed decision-making. Ultimately, it seeks to foster sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity in Africa by leveraging the continent’s unique strengths to maximize regional market benefits.

The Economic Development in Africa Report 2014 addresses the current state of development in Africa. Over the past decade, African countries have had relatively good economic growth performance. But average investment rates on the continent remain low relative to what is considered necessary to achieve national development goals and relative to the average rate for developing countries. These facts suggest that Africa's recent growth may be fragile and that it is unlikely to be sustained in the medium to long term if current trends continue. The key question, then, is how can African Governments catalyse investment for sustained and transformative growth? This report addresses that question

Africa has major development aspirations in the broader context of a global and continental economic development agenda. This calls for substantial financial resources at a time when the global development finance landscape is changing, from a model centred on official development assistance and the coverage of remaining financing needs through external debt, to a framework with greater emphasis on the mobilization of domestic resources. The Economic Development in Africa Report 2016 examines some of the key policy issues that underlie Africa's domestic and external debt, and provides policy guidance on the delicate balance required between financing development alternatives and overall debt sustainability. This report analyses Africa's international debt exposure and how domestic debt is increasingly playing a role in some African countries as a development finance option, and also examines complementary financing options and how they relate to debt.

The advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a historic opportunity for the continent to boost intra-African trade and accelerate structural transformation. However, this relies on a critical policy instrument: the effective implementation of preferential trade liberalization among the AfCFTA members. Whether in practice African firms will utilize tariff preferences under the AfCFTA depends on a critical factor: rules of origin (RoO) and the net benefits of complying with them. The Economic Development in Africa Report 2019 argues for the adoption of flexible RoO and a strengthening of institutional capacities to ensure an impartial, transparent, predictable, consistent and neutral implementation of agreed RoO.