Category: Reports

Tang Xiaoyang, July 2015

DOWNLOAD PAPER

Africa is no longer satisfied with growth that is limited to traditional economic sectors, such as agriculture or mining. Policy-makers aiming to bring in more manufacturing, technology and innovations to the continent are attaching more importance to structural transformation in their vision of development.

In this context, a handful of ‘special economic zones’ (SEZs) established in Africa by Chinese firms are especially interesting. Firstly, these zones have concentrated an increasing number of manufacturing investment projects from China and other countries. Secondly, SEZs played a significant role in China’s own economic transformation during last three decades. Why did Chinese investors set up these zones in Africa? How do these zones affect the economic transformation in Africa? What can be done to maximise their positive impacts? This brief will offer a brief analysis to answer these three questions.

Gagan Thapa and Yurendra Basnett, May 2015

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF IN NEPALI

Key messages from the brief include that hydropower can help Nepal decouple growth from rising carbon emissions and propel economic transformation. To do so will require creating agglomeration effects around hydropower development.

Nepal should consider investing hydropower revenue to ensure that the country stays on a low-carbon economic growth pathway; to build the much needed transport infrastructure and power it with electricity; and to develop industries.

There are important risks that could derail the benefits of hydropower development. These include financial volatility, corruption leading to further weakening of governance, and ineffective regulation.

Universal coverage of transmission lines will be important for ensuring inclusive access to energy.

Media Coverage

Kathmanudu Post, 09 December 2015

Dirk Willem te Velde, David Booth, Danny Leipziger and Ebere Uneze, May 2015

DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF

Nigeria’s recent economic growth has not brought about economic transformation. The new administration has an opportunity to address new areas of economic growth and the briefing sets about the six key aspects of policy formulation and implementation from the relevant international experience. One clear conclusion is the importance of emphasising global competitiveness, even in a large economy with a growing domestic market.

A key feature of Nigeria policy-making process is inconsistency, which works directly against the key ingredients for successful transformation policy. A good range of industrial sectors and products appear economically promising on the basis of any one of three types of rigorous analytical methods (Revealed Comparative Advantage, Product Space Analysis, and the Growth Identification and Facilitation Framework). The report outlines the key constraints to growth in these sectors.

It concludes that countries that have successfully engaged in economic transformation have been able to both articulate a longer-term economic vision and to deliver on a sufficient number of deliverables to obtain cooperation from various parts of society. What is needed in Nigeria is bold and imaginative thinking about technically sound and politically feasible first steps.

Media coverage

Financial Times, 02 February 2016

Asoko Insight, 05 February 2016

Business Day Online, 05 February 2016