What’s New

At a JICA-ACET Industrial Policy Dialogue, experts urge African leaders  to look to East Asia for inspiration and lessons of "what works". Successful East Asian countries may represent better models of economic development for Africa to learn from because they have had “the dual experiences” of being both recipients and donors of aid, and can identify with many of the challenges which lie ahead of African economies. Professors Kenichi Ohno and Izumi Ohno of the National Graduate Institut....

Rather than moving to an exponential growth path, African Export Processing Zones have been characterized by a slowdown in growth across investment, exports and employment. A look at the case of West Africa – and why it’s time for governments to lift the game. The common image of thousands of women busy on the production line in garment factories has become an iconic symbol of how export manufacturing puts poverty-reducing jobs in the hands of low-wage workers in developing countries. Fo....

In a recent article, Nobel Laureate and Chair of ACET's Advisory Group Joseph Stiglitz  addresses the question of how countries can turn the resource curse into a blessing. Professor Stiglitz argues that while well known antidotes to the curse exist (such as a low exchange rate, a stabilization fund, careful investment of resource revenues, a ban on borrowing against resources, and transparency), there is a growing consensus that these measures, while necessary, are insufficient. Newly enric....

After decades of decline, a number of factors are aligning and provide a window of opportunity for jump-starting manufacturing in the region. With good reason, manufacturing continues to be seen as the Holy Grail of economic transformation. After all, historically it has been the one special engine that has powered the economic rise of nations. Manufacturing is special because of its potential for impact through multiple channels. First, jobs in the sector potentially produce wage incr....