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on Africa |
| By: | Camille Fabre; Paul Vertier |
| Abstract: | While African countries have a particularly rich biodiversity, this has been deteriorating markedly for several decades, and seems to be accelerating in recent years. This degradation of biodiversity has consequences both at local level—African populations, mostly rural, are heavily dependent on ecosystem services—and at global level, given the major implications of biodiversity degradation for global warming, health, food security and global financial stability. Biodiversity conservation in Africa is therefore a major challenge, and its linkage with the continent’s economic development objectives raises a number of issues. To study this question, this paper combines geolocated data on economic activity and on a specific measure of biodiversity, namely vertebrate population counts, between 1990 and 2015. It shows that an increase in local economic activity is associated with a decline in local vertebrate populations, and discusses this result in light of the challenges facing Africa. It also documents the protection measures implemented both locally and globally to promote biodiversity preservation, as well as the challenges they face. |
| Keywords: | Biodiversity, Growth, Africa, Development |
| JEL: | Q57 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfr:banfra:984 |
| By: | Charles Kenny (Center for Global Development) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the changing shape of Chinese investment in Africa, as it evolves from large scale infrastructure toward small scale manufacturing. It looks at the opportunity for the region in the context of a deepening manufacturing labor shortage in China; discusses barriers to that opportunity in both China and the Africa region; and the potential response of Western countries. It may be possible for at least some economies in Africa to benefit from a combination of Chinese investment in manufactured export and processed commodity industries and preferential access to economies including the US and China if geopolitics allow, but there are many reasons this could fail and the geopolitics are increasingly hostile. A backup plan for regional growth would be wise. |
| Date: | 2025–06–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cgd:ppaper:359 |
| By: | Ragasa, Catherine; Lambrecht, Isabel B.; Ma, Ning; Cole, Steven; Ebrahim, Mohammed; Desta, Gizaw; Mersha, Abiro Tigabie; Mudereri, Bester; Kihiu, Evelyne; Kreye, Christine; Peter, Hellen |
| Abstract: | Extensive prior research has demonstrated that reducing gender discrimination enhances women’s empowerment, promotes more inclusive livelihoods, increases agricultural productivity, and improves other development outcomes. This study aims to contribute to documenting and informing the measurement of gender attitudes that relate directly to reaching, benefiting, and empowering women through agricultural innovations. By analyzing data from 8, 051 survey respondents across study sites in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda, our findings emphasize both commonalities and differences in gender attitudes across different contexts. Furthermore, by including a survey-based experiment during data collection, we assess whether gender-attitude statements vary depending on whether they are presented in a positive frame (focusing on equality) or in a negative frame (focusing on inequality). On average, rural women and men respondents across all countries supported more than half of the gender-equality statements. Some gender-inequality attitudes persisted across the four countries but varied in magnitude and by location, age group, and specific statement or theme. Framing matters: respondents exposed to a positive framing supported 16 percent more gender-equality statements than those exposed to a negative framing. The study highlights two main implications. First, the findings indicate the importance of considering both restrictive attitudes and those that reflect gender-equality opportunities as being in the vanguard. Accordingly, gender-focused interventions should adopt strategies that challenge normative views of women as supporting rather than leading actors in agriculture and economic activities. Second, gender-attitude measures do not perfectly align with country-level gender-equality indicators or with empowerment at the intrahousehold level. They therefore capture a distinct dimension and merit their own indicators. |
| Keywords: | agriculture; development; gender; livelihoods; women’s empowerment; Congo, Democratic Republic of; Ethiopia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Africa; Eastern Africa; West and Central Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Date: | 2025–09–16 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:176542 |
| By: | Razan Amine; Qianqian Zhang; Shushanik Hakobyan; Ankita Goel |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the major bottlenecks to private sector development in sub-Saharan Africa using novel methods based on firm-level data. Employing both perception-based and proxy-based methodologies, we identify and measure seven key obstacles to development. Our findings reveal significant divergences between firms' perceptions and objective measures of business constraints. While firms frequently cite infrastructure deficiencies as their primary concern, our proxy-based analysis identifies corruption followed by financial constraints as the most severe impediments to firm growth. Furthermore, small and medium-sized enterprises face disproportionate challenges compared to large firms, especially regarding financial access and human capital limitations. These findings underscore the need for targeted, context-specific policy interventions that address the objective constraints facing different types of firms across diverse economic environments in sub-Saharan Africa. |
| Keywords: | Sub-Saharan Africa; private sector development; firm-level data; principal component analysis |
| Date: | 2025–09–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2025/188 |
| By: | Omamo, Steven Were |
| Abstract: | Why do some systems move while others stall—even when resources, plans, and intent appear similar? This paper introduces the concept of development readiness as one way to understand and address this question. Development readiness is defined as the capacity of a system to act—at the right time, at the right scale, and with purpose—whether in response to crises or in pursuit of development goals. It emerges when kinetic capacity (the ability to move people, goods, and services) aligns with negotiation capacity (the ability to coordinate, decide, and resolve), conditioned by activation costs (tangible and intangible obstacles) and option value (flexibility to act under uncertainty). A conceptual framework based on these four operational forces is set out and illustrated with real-world examples. A structured research agenda and strategy emerges, along with implications for investment and operations. The case illustrations demonstrate that the development readiness framework applies equally at national, sectoral, and organizational levels, with wide-ranging applications—from scaling innovations, accelerating service delivery, and strengthening value chains, to deepening climate resilience and enabling coordinated action in crisis-prone and institutionally fragmented settings. |
| Keywords: | economic development; development policies; governance; innovation; kinetics; negotiation; investment; Africa |
| Date: | 2025–07–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:175784 |