Christian Kingombe

1 INTRODUCTION
2 SUPPORT TO CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE
2.1 The quality of the engagements (goal, purpose, inputs) e.g. consistency and realism. Consider how the engagement meets the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria.
2.2 Assess whether Danish priorities and principles have been adequately addressed, including poverty orientation and target group considerations (Gender Age and Disability (GAD)); Leaving No One Behind (LNOB); Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA); and climate change and… Mehr anzeigen

1 INTRODUCTION
2 SUPPORT TO CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE
2.1 The quality of the engagements (goal, purpose, inputs) e.g. consistency and realism. Consider how the engagement meets the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria.
2.2 Assess whether Danish priorities and principles have been adequately addressed, including poverty orientation and target group considerations (Gender Age and Disability (GAD)); Leaving No One Behind (LNOB); Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA); and climate change and environmental considerations (targeting or mainstreaming).
2.3 For programmes and projects that target climate and/or environment as principal or significant objective, assess the explanation/justification provided against relevant definitions, including for the Rio markers.
2.4 Assess if opportunities for adaptive management and coherence are adequately addressed.
2.5 Assess the sustainability of outcomes and their alignment with the partner’s development policies and strategies; verify that implementation modalities are well described and justified. Consider exit strategies.
3 PARTNER COMMITMENT AND CAPACITY
3.1 The capacity and quality of the partner to reach the envisaged results and the adequacy of the partner’s own assessment of what may block or facilitate achieving the results.
3.2 Assess the partner’s planning framework, considering focus, coherence, and feasibility (social, technical, institutional, economic and financial).
3.3 Partner’s capacity and commitment to absorb and manage the support. This should also include their capacity to undertake monitoring and reporting.
3.4 The adequacy of measures to support capacity development in partner organizations, and the possible demand for and capacity to manage and utilize technical assistance.
4 RESULTS FRAMEWORK AND PARTNER MONITORING SYSTEMS
5 RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT Weniger anzeigen

1.1 Content of the study
This report describes findings and analysis from the EU Global Gateways Infrastructure Program for the Horn of Africa (HoA) Region, a consortium led by Stantec. It is organized along interview questions (IQs) and judgement criteria (JCs) agreed on by the stakeholders and represents the areas of the study for the whole HoA’s Corridors 7, 8 and 11. The Stock-taking Report of the diagnostic study will be structured along these IQs and JCs, followed by conclusions and… Mehr anzeigen

1.1 Content of the study
This report describes findings and analysis from the EU Global Gateways Infrastructure Program for the Horn of Africa (HoA) Region, a consortium led by Stantec. It is organized along interview questions (IQs) and judgement criteria (JCs) agreed on by the stakeholders and represents the areas of the study for the whole HoA’s Corridors 7, 8 and 11. The Stock-taking Report of the diagnostic study will be structured along these IQs and JCs, followed by conclusions and recommendations concerning the entire diagnostic program. The report starts with a short description of the HoA transport and trade diagnostic program, followed by a description of the methodology used to produce it. The findings along the IQs and JCs mentioned above follow this. The report ends with a section listing several emerging observations and preliminary conclusions from this study. The annexes compile the documents reviewed, the persons interviewed, and outcomes validated by interviewees online.

1.2 Context of the study

In 2019, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia launched the Horn of Africa Initiative with the overarching goal of ensuring the rapid development of the subregion. The Initiative covers four areas:
• improving regional infrastructure links,
• promoting trade and economic integration,
• enhancing resilience and
• strengthening the development of human capital.

1.3 Objectives

i. To investigate infrastructure conditions along C 7, 8 and 11.
ii. To identify missing links along C 7,8, and 11.
iii. To propose solutions for the missing links along C 7,8, and 11.


In addition to the transport infrastructure component, the Customs, Trade and Trade Facilitation component aims at highlighting the necessary development and investments to facilitate trade and movement of persons, vehicles and goods in domestic, regional and international transport to stimulate economic and social development in the territories of the corridor countries Weniger anzeigen

Mauritius is on a mission to become a high-income country (HIC) within this decade. The government has outlined a development strategy focused on fostering innovation through skill development, technological advancement, and enhancing the ICT infrastructure. However, it's equally essential for Mauritius to pursue an Inclusive Growth (IG) agenda, ensuring all societal and economic segments are part of the sustainable development process towards HIC status. In this article, we explore how Impact… Mehr anzeigen

Mauritius is on a mission to become a high-income country (HIC) within this decade. The government has outlined a development strategy focused on fostering innovation through skill development, technological advancement, and enhancing the ICT infrastructure. However, it's equally essential for Mauritius to pursue an Inclusive Growth (IG) agenda, ensuring all societal and economic segments are part of the sustainable development process towards HIC status. In this article, we explore how Impact Investing can facilitate the realization of the IG vision.

Introduction

The Republic of Mauritius, an island economy located in the Indian Ocean, is a member of the AfCFTA(2019), COMESA (1994), SADC FTA (2008), and the Indian Ocean Commission (2013).

Operationalizing Inclusive Growth Agenda through Impact Investing

Let's delve into how Impact Investing could lay the groundwork for Mauritius' inclusive growth future. The economy is recovering, with most sectors returning to pre-pandemic output levels, except tourism. However, a burgeoning market for impact investing presents a significant funding source for starting and developing locally managed ecotourism enterprises contributing to sustainable conservation.

Broadly speaking, Mauritius should embrace structural transformation to continue on the path to sustainable and resilient long-term growth. Priorities should include enhancing diversification and competitiveness, including greater digitalization of the economy (IMF, 2022). Achieving the UN SDGs by unlocking the power of blockchain should be further explored in Mauritius, for instance, by building a special economic zone for Crypto companies. Weniger anzeigen

The first is the introductory and conceptual section, comprising of a traditional chapter that tracks progress and trends in regional integration on the continent since the last edition, ARIA IX chapter 1;
a chapter that surveys services trade and services trade policies in Africa chapter 2; and
a transitional chapter that reviews insights from literature on the impacts of services trade restrictions on development. This chapter sets the tone/provides a framework for the thematic… Mehr anzeigen

The first is the introductory and conceptual section, comprising of a traditional chapter that tracks progress and trends in regional integration on the continent since the last edition, ARIA IX chapter 1;
a chapter that surveys services trade and services trade policies in Africa chapter 2; and
a transitional chapter that reviews insights from literature on the impacts of services trade restrictions on development. This chapter sets the tone/provides a framework for the thematic section of the report chapter 3.
The second is the thematic section, which focuses on analyzing liberalization and regulation in five priority sectors in the AfCFTA agreement, namely; financial services, transport services, communication services, tourism, and business services. Cross-border financial services trade is the focus of Chapter 4. Chapter 5 on transport services trade begins by reviewing literature on frameworks for regulating and facilitating that trade and presenting major challenges and opportunities.
For a concise overview of the communications sector as understood in the AfCFTA context, Chapter 6 sketches core developments, particularly developments in policy and legal/regulatory liberalization. It argues for the importance of general good practice regulatory framework principles for liberalization, rather than service-specific commitments.
The focus of Chapter 7 is how to encourage intra-African tourism, indicating the sector’s importance in Africa
For trade in business services, Chapter 8 examines the regulatory and facilitating frameworks in the business services sector. The third section discusses the development of services value chains and building of both public and private sector capacities, including in the negotiation of services trade liberalization, as well as the establishment and effective implementation of regulatory structures and frameworks for the AfCFTA chapter 9
The section also has a chapter on the overall conclusion and recommendations chapter 10 Weniger anzeigen

The Zambia Impact Investment Market Sizingstudy brings the most comprehensive data set to date on this investment fund universe focusing on Zambia exclusively during the period 2019-2020 by providing a clear picture state of the size of the impact investment market in Zambia. The study does this by:
i. Mapping all known 23 impact investors including by highlighting which Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) they all focus on and investment products they use;
ii. Estimating the Market… Mehr anzeigen

The Zambia Impact Investment Market Sizingstudy brings the most comprehensive data set to date on this investment fund universe focusing on Zambia exclusively during the period 2019-2020 by providing a clear picture state of the size of the impact investment market in Zambia. The study does this by:
i. Mapping all known 23 impact investors including by highlighting which Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) they all focus on and investment products they use;
ii. Estimating the Market size (i.e., the total value of impact investments) including highlighting
the methodology used and assumptions made;
iii. Identifying existing and potential trends in the Zambian impact investing market and showing
developments from the baseline period 2015-2018 to the follow-up up period from 2019-2020;
iv. Investigating the fund management landscape in Zambia and describing the impact
measurement and management tools which these impact investors are using;
v. Identifying AUM by sector, instrument and organisation type;
vi. Investigating the investment performance and the risks of various instruments;
vii. Mapping the (impact) enterprises who received impact capital from both the 18 non-DFIs and
5 DFIs, and counting the actual number of transactions from 2019-2020;
viii. Finally, by identifying some of the major challenges the impact investors are confronted with
and proposing what could be done to ensure that the opportunities associated with growing of
the impact investment market size in Zambia eventually materialize within the newly Elected
Zambian Government’s forthcoming 8th National Development Plan (2022-2026). Weniger anzeigen

Poverty is largely found in the rural areas and rural employment is still mainly found in the agricultural sector. These facts should lend credence to the perception of rural transport infrastructure (RTI) as an important policy instrument for rural development. The objective is to establish the structural relationship between RTI development, pro-poor rural growth and agricultural trade. The book contributes to the methodological framework used in rural projects evaluation by proposing that… Mehr anzeigen

Poverty is largely found in the rural areas and rural employment is still mainly found in the agricultural sector. These facts should lend credence to the perception of rural transport infrastructure (RTI) as an important policy instrument for rural development. The objective is to establish the structural relationship between RTI development, pro-poor rural growth and agricultural trade. The book contributes to the methodological framework used in rural projects evaluation by proposing that household and firm survey analysis has the potential of providing insights that go beyond what is revealed by aggregate cross-country regressions and traditional cost-benefit analysis. However, our impact evaluation approach can be considered to be complementary to the more detailed structural approach used by other authors referred in the literature review. Finally, it recommends that future research be devoted to further advancing appraisal techniques for rural road projects and to discuss how quantitative impact evaluations of rural development policy instruments such as feeder roads can best influence policy in order to help make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Weniger anzeigen

A recurrent problem in international organizations is the disappearance of institutional history and knowledge. The same can be said about international agreements unless the same key drafters/negotiators are involved in subsequent agreements which is rarely the case. This study provides an example how institutional memory embedded in international agreements can be preserved for the benefit of the next generation of policy negotiators. Hence, as a contribution to the broader reflection on how… Mehr anzeigen

A recurrent problem in international organizations is the disappearance of institutional history and knowledge. The same can be said about international agreements unless the same key drafters/negotiators are involved in subsequent agreements which is rarely the case. This study provides an example how institutional memory embedded in international agreements can be preserved for the benefit of the next generation of policy negotiators. Hence, as a contribution to the broader reflection on how to align National Sustainable Development Plans with the implementation plan of 2030 Agenda, the purpose of the study is to present a comparative analysis of the 2030 Agenda with 6 outcome documents that were negotiated and agreed by the UN member countries in the domain of sustainability. This analysis aims to identify issues not covered or “unfinished business” in the 2030 Agenda and addressed in a more comprehensive manner or from different perspectives. The list of agreements and outcome documents included are Agenda 21, Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, Outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, The Paris Agreement and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Our findings show that these agreements tend to build on each other, not always in the most straightforward manner, but they constitute a complementary set of agreements documenting the existing knowledge and practices on sustainability development. For instance, the 2030 Agenda does not repeal Agenda 21 (1992) or any other of the six agreements analysed, which shows that these preceding international agreements are still relevant for domestication by the signatories. Rather, it is a summative document covering all three pillars of sustainable development (social, environmental and economic). Recommendations are made on what aspects of the previous agreements could be most relevant for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Weniger anzeigen

Responding to the critics, UNECE has re-named its PPP approach as “People First PPPs” to ensure that PPPs will be aligned with the SDGs and integrate the following five outcomes namely : Access and equity; Improving access to essential services; Environmental Sustainable Development; Stakeholder engagement; and Economic Effectiveness including women involvement, and Replicability.
In parallel with this work at UNECE, UNCTAD has been working on how to make FDI work better for development… Mehr anzeigen

Responding to the critics, UNECE has re-named its PPP approach as “People First PPPs” to ensure that PPPs will be aligned with the SDGs and integrate the following five outcomes namely : Access and equity; Improving access to essential services; Environmental Sustainable Development; Stakeholder engagement; and Economic Effectiveness including women involvement, and Replicability.
In parallel with this work at UNECE, UNCTAD has been working on how to make FDI work better for development. UNCTAD has developed the UNCTAD Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development. Weniger anzeigen

This IIX Chapter Lusaka Roundtable Background report seeks to address some specific and current issues in Zambian’s productive SDG sectors, by focusing on both the policy options as well as the impact investment opportunities available, each of which is briefly introduced in the ensuing sections.

The role of infrastructure in economic development is widely recognised. How can the development of a more integrated transport infrastructure network support the achievement of the Sustainable development goals in Africa?

Recently, the heads of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the IMF jointly stated that “no country has developed without access to well-functioning infrastructure.” More specifically, infrastructural development is essential for competitiveness and trade… Mehr anzeigen

The role of infrastructure in economic development is widely recognised. How can the development of a more integrated transport infrastructure network support the achievement of the Sustainable development goals in Africa?

Recently, the heads of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the IMF jointly stated that “no country has developed without access to well-functioning infrastructure.” More specifically, infrastructural development is essential for competitiveness and trade, which in turn can play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development. This article looks at choices made in Africa on how to prioritise trade-related infrastructure and transport activities to advance sustainable development goals (SDGs), and also provide a few suggestions on how these efforts could be strengthened.
Weniger anzeigen

Cette analyse traite des obstacles à l’investissement direct par la diaspora congolaise en RDC. Il
s’inspire des recommandations de la deuxième édition du Forum Economique Congolais dans l’Union
Européenne qui avait eu lieu à Bruxelles en mars 2012. L’auteur décrit le modèle kenyan M-PESA
Money Transfer qui inclut la possibilité d’envoyer de l’argent via Western Union à partir du Kenya à 45
pays à travers le monde. S’inspirant de cette réussite kenyane, il donne quelques… Mehr anzeigen

Cette analyse traite des obstacles à l’investissement direct par la diaspora congolaise en RDC. Il
s’inspire des recommandations de la deuxième édition du Forum Economique Congolais dans l’Union
Européenne qui avait eu lieu à Bruxelles en mars 2012. L’auteur décrit le modèle kenyan M-PESA
Money Transfer qui inclut la possibilité d’envoyer de l’argent via Western Union à partir du Kenya à 45
pays à travers le monde. S’inspirant de cette réussite kenyane, il donne quelques recommandations
pour surmonter les obstacles existants aux investissements directs de la diaspora congolaise en RDC.

Congolese Diaspora
The potential for diaspora savings in African countries in 2009 according to Ratha and Mohapatra (2011) the DRC emigrant stock in African countries was US$1.1 billion[1]. The number of Congolese migrants in the European Union is still rapidly increasing. A Belgian study estimates that some 400,000 First and Second (DRC still does not allow dual citizenship[2]) Generation Congolese immigrants resided in Belgium in 2010[3]. Moreover in 2013, diaspora economic remittances to the DRC amounted to US$7 billion — which was only about 1 billion less than the DRC Government’s Budget for 2014. Nevertheless, prior to the second edition of the Congolese Economic Forum in the European Union (FECUE-II) this sizeable Congolese diaspora in and outside Africa were not involved in setting up businesses in the DRC, and the share of their private savings sent to the DRC was mainly devoted to private consumption and was often channeled through expensive means of money transfers and / or unsafe informal money transfer channels[4].

A few Socio-Economic & Impact Investing Projects by the Congolese Diaspora
In 2012, a diaspora co-development project was started and organized by Congolese Genocide Awareness, Inc. (CGA)[5] named “Women’s microfinance initiative MwanzoUpya (A New Beginning)” in the eastern part of the DRC. The project was started after the war in eastern Congo ... Weniger anzeigen

Chapter 1 provides the historical context and conceptual framework for the remainder of the Report.
Following this chapter, the LDC Report 2016 is structured around four further chapters.
Chapter 2 presents projections for graduation cases in the 2017–2024 period and describes the national dynamics of graduation, including the role of geographical constraints, and the processes, strategies and policies leading to graduation.
Chapter 3 examines the role and limitations of ISMs in… Mehr anzeigen

Chapter 1 provides the historical context and conceptual framework for the remainder of the Report.
Following this chapter, the LDC Report 2016 is structured around four further chapters.
Chapter 2 presents projections for graduation cases in the 2017–2024 period and describes the national dynamics of graduation, including the role of geographical constraints, and the processes, strategies and policies leading to graduation.
Chapter 3 examines the role and limitations of ISMs in bringing LDCs to graduation, including an assessment of their role in past graduation cases.
Chapter 4 analyses the post-graduation phase of the development process, examining smooth transition, the costs and benefits of graduation, and the experience of those countries that have graduated to date.
Chapter 5 discusses how graduation can be steered to achieve graduation with momentum, to avoid
major post-graduation pitfalls and traps. It discusses policy alternatives for consideration by LDCs and by the international community to strengthen the development processes of LDCs and establish “graduation-plus” strategies for graduation with momentum. Weniger anzeigen

This article suggests that given the fulfilment of a number of preconditions Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) may be attractive instruments for countries in Africa seeking to improve the quality and competitiveness of their services base, particularly the so-called infrastructure services. This article builds, in addition to a selective review of the vast literature on PPPs, on first-hand practical experience on the ground and a number of pilot projects. This methodological approach provides… Mehr anzeigen

This article suggests that given the fulfilment of a number of preconditions Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) may be attractive instruments for countries in Africa seeking to improve the quality and competitiveness of their services base, particularly the so-called infrastructure services. This article builds, in addition to a selective review of the vast literature on PPPs, on first-hand practical experience on the ground and a number of pilot projects. This methodological approach provides a non-exhaustive PPP mapping in Africa, which in turn leads to a discussion of some of the challenges and risks to PPPs in Africa. It also covers a discussion of the recent trends in the approach to improving the enabling environment upon which are based a few policy recommendations, respectively: establishing an institutional framework for PPPs; designing a realistic and efficient strategy for enabling environment improvement; and finally moving from national-level initiatives to intergovernmental initiatives. This article takes the position that a series of pitfalls and shortcomings, many of which are associated with the enabling institutional environment and the governance framework, need to be addressed if PPPs are to deliver their full potential in Africa. It is believed that the national and intergovernmental PPP initiatives could lend significant support to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Africa. In addition to the reviewing and discussing primarily the most recent literature on PPPs, the main value addition of our chapter brings to the literature is derived from the presentation of recent PPP cases, which draw directly from the authors own practical experience on the ground. Weniger anzeigen

The paper reviews the latest technological tools that arguably can contribute to reducing the
excessively high costs of remittance transactions in Africa. Indeed, despite huge remittance
inflows to and within the continent, Africa is the most expensive destination to send money to. As
remittances have become more important than ODA & FDI inflows in some countries, it has become crucial to explore technological advances that can contribute to reducing their transaction costs. Such… Mehr anzeigen

The paper reviews the latest technological tools that arguably can contribute to reducing the
excessively high costs of remittance transactions in Africa. Indeed, despite huge remittance
inflows to and within the continent, Africa is the most expensive destination to send money to. As
remittances have become more important than ODA & FDI inflows in some countries, it has become crucial to explore technological advances that can contribute to reducing their transaction costs. Such reduction would enable the end beneficiaries to capture a larger share of these external resources, which in turn could have an even bigger impact on development in Africa.
In addition to revisiting the role of mobile banking in lowering remittance transaction prices, the
paper takes a closer look at the newest available technology, the Bitcoin blockchain technology
that underpins digital currencies. Although, a few top schools, such as Cambridge University’s
Judge School of Business, Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, and UNSW Business
School in Sydney, have conducted research into bitcoin and the blockchain, at this early stage,
still very few social science researchers have addressed the role that such digital currency could
play in the reduction of the remittance transaction prices, in addition to a few innovative Bitcoin
operators.
The paper proceeds as follows. It first looks at the causes of the high remittance transaction costs.
Then, it reviews, presents and analyses the official remittances data downloaded from the World
Bank's Remittances Prices Worldwide database. It also briefly reviews a few remittance transfer
technological instruments. Given the novelty of the topic, the review of the most recent existing
"literature" on Bitcoin is mainly retrieved from either online news sources or information from a
few leading Bitcoin operators. Finally, a number of appropriate policy actions
to foster the economic impact of remittances are proposed. Weniger anzeigen

For the least developed countries (LDCs) to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, their
rural economies will have to undergo structural transformation, given that most of their population lives in rural areas and agriculture is a main contributor to their economy.
To this end, UNCTAD proposes that LDCs engage in the poverty-oriented structural transformation, or POST, of rural areas. It should encompass the upgrading of agriculture, the diversification of rural economic activities and… Mehr anzeigen

For the least developed countries (LDCs) to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, their
rural economies will have to undergo structural transformation, given that most of their population lives in rural areas and agriculture is a main contributor to their economy.
To this end, UNCTAD proposes that LDCs engage in the poverty-oriented structural transformation, or POST, of rural areas. It should encompass the upgrading of agriculture, the diversification of rural economic activities and the strengthening of synergies between both.
A major obstacle is the dearth and inadequacy of financing for rural economic activities. This policy brief discusses key policy measures and instruments that LDCs and their development partners can mobilize to widen the financing of rural economic activities. Weniger anzeigen

The headline of the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs is a global commitment to eradicate poverty by 2030. Nearly half the population of the 48 LDCs – some 400 million people – remain in extreme poverty.
The LDCs are thus the battleground on which the 2030 Agenda will be won or lost. This is where shortfalls from the SDG targets are greatest, where improvement has been slowest, and where the barriers to further progress are highest.
Rural development will be… Mehr anzeigen

The headline of the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs is a global commitment to eradicate poverty by 2030. Nearly half the population of the 48 LDCs – some 400 million people – remain in extreme poverty.
The LDCs are thus the battleground on which the 2030 Agenda will be won or lost. This is where shortfalls from the SDG targets are greatest, where improvement has been slowest, and where the barriers to further progress are highest.
Rural development will be central to the quantum leap in the rate of progress required for LDCs to achieve the SDGs. More than two thirds of people in LDCs live in rural areas, where poverty is also most widespread and deepest, and infrastructure and social provision most lacking. Rural development is essential, not only to poverty eradication, employment generation and economic development, but also to sustainable urbanization.
UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2015 therefore focuses on the transformation of rural economies. Assessing LDCs’ progress in agricultural productivity, the extent and nature of their rural economic diversification, and gender issues in rural transformation, it shows that:
Agricultural productivity began to increase in LDCs in 2000, following decades of stagnation or decline, but has risen strongly only in Asian LDCs.
Rural economic diversification varies widely between LDCs, but only a few have passed beyond the stage in which non-farm activities are centred on agriculture and urban linkages are limited.
The 2030 Agenda both highlights the need and provides the opportunity for a new approach to rural development centred on poverty-oriented structural transformation (POST), to generate higher incomes backed by higher productivity. In rural areas, this means upgrading agriculture, developing viable non-farm activities, and fully exploiting the synergies between the two, through appropriately designed and sequenced efforts to achieve the SDGs Weniger anzeigen

The paper reviews the last technological tools that arguably can contribute to reducing the
excessively high costs of remittance transactions in Africa. Indeed, despite huge remittance
inflows to and within the continent, Africa is the most expensive destination to send money
to. As remittances have become more important than ODA and FDI inflows in some countries, it has become crucial to explore technological advances that can contribute to reducing their transaction costs. Such… Mehr anzeigen

The paper reviews the last technological tools that arguably can contribute to reducing the
excessively high costs of remittance transactions in Africa. Indeed, despite huge remittance
inflows to and within the continent, Africa is the most expensive destination to send money
to. As remittances have become more important than ODA and FDI inflows in some countries, it has become crucial to explore technological advances that can contribute to reducing their transaction costs. Such reduction would enable the end beneficiaries to capture a larger share of these external
resources, which in turn could have an even bigger impact on development in Africa.
In addition to revisiting the role of mobile banking in lowering remittance transaction prices,
the paper takes a closer look at the newest available technology, the Bitcoin blockchain
technology that underpins digital currencies. At this early stage, very few social science
researchers have addressed the role that such digital currency could play in the reduction of
the remittance transaction prices, except for a few innovative Bitcoin operators.
The paper proceeds as follows. It first looks at the causes of the high remittance transaction
costs. Then, it reviews, presents and analyses the official remittances data downloaded from
the World Bank's Remittances Prices Worldwide database. It also briefly reviews a few
remittance transfer technological instruments. Given the novelty of the topic, the review of
the most recent existing "literature" on Bitcoin is mainly retrieved from either on - line news
sources or information from a few leading Bitcoin operators. In the light of the UN SDG to reduce by 2030 the remittance transaction costs to even less than 3%, the effectiveness of these new technological instruments to reach such objective are discussed. Finally, a number of appropriate policy actions to foster the economic impact of remittances are proposed. Weniger anzeigen

This Handbookis a global overview of industrialisation. Each chapter will provide readers with contemporary insights into this this essential aspect of economic development. It aims to illuminate uneven development and takes stock of the current issues that hinder and support industrialisation in low and middle income economies. This authoritative Handbook will be a key reference source for those studying or wishing to understand contemporary economic development. Offering inspiration and… Mehr anzeigen

This Handbookis a global overview of industrialisation. Each chapter will provide readers with contemporary insights into this this essential aspect of economic development. It aims to illuminate uneven development and takes stock of the current issues that hinder and support industrialisation in low and middle income economies. This authoritative Handbook will be a key reference source for those studying or wishing to understand contemporary economic development. Offering inspiration and direction for future research, this landmark volume will be of crucial importance to all development economics scholars and researchers.
Co-author of chapter 14 entitled Special Economic Zones in sub-Saharan Africa – Dirk Willem te Velde (Overseas Development Institute) and Christian Kingombe (African Development Bank)
Weniger anzeigen

This article discusses various ways in which IE can be improved in development programs and
projects. It starts by describing four main aspects for improvement (use, quantity, quality, relevance
and timing), and then proceeds to more specific areas (Independent Evaluation Group,
2012; Levine, 2006). These include the relevance of partnerships and evaluation policies to foster
and consolidate IE support, linking IE with research and policy, methodologies and paradigm
shifts… Mehr anzeigen

This article discusses various ways in which IE can be improved in development programs and
projects. It starts by describing four main aspects for improvement (use, quantity, quality, relevance
and timing), and then proceeds to more specific areas (Independent Evaluation Group,
2012; Levine, 2006). These include the relevance of partnerships and evaluation policies to foster
and consolidate IE support, linking IE with research and policy, methodologies and paradigm
shifts, innovations in technologies and data, and the role of a strong civil society in creating a
growing demand for IE knowledge. These are discussed in the second half of the article. Weniger anzeigen

at the moment there exists no internal
user guidelines on how to internalize Impact Evaluation in the design of either regional
operations (ROs such as the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA)
transport corridors) or national infrastructure interventions (NOs), including rural roads.
This article discusses the main steps for creating such a “user guide”, in order to generate
robust quantitative evaluations of the effectiveness of infrastructure interventions… Mehr anzeigen

at the moment there exists no internal
user guidelines on how to internalize Impact Evaluation in the design of either regional
operations (ROs such as the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA)
transport corridors) or national infrastructure interventions (NOs), including rural roads.
This article discusses the main steps for creating such a “user guide”, in order to generate
robust quantitative evaluations of the effectiveness of infrastructure interventions, which
is due to increase accountability for intervention selection, implementation and sustainability.
Its aim is to contribute to making sure the Bank´s practitioners (e.g. The Operational
Departments’ Task managers) are able to internalize these guidelines in the design and costs
of their own transport infrastructure projects, thereby contributing to the Bank’s collective
knowledge of what works (i.e. what best can deliver) when routinely building-in evaluation
components in their own transport infrastructure/corridor projects. Weniger anzeigen

Africa in general and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular has seen the perception of the continent swing first from pessimism to optimism and even further to enthusiasm. When visiting Lusaka, Lilongwe, Dar es Salaam and Abidjan one cannot help but notice the emerging African middle class and, on the surface, a sense of optimism. This brief attempts to capture the still on-going debate as to whether Africa’s middle class truly is rising or not and the various perspectives surrounding this debate.

This paper discusses the political economy aspects of regional integration as these are essential features to consider when trying to engage in supporting such a complex agenda. It starts from the now widely recognised reality of the persistent gap between regional trade agreements as reached by the multiple Regional Economic Communities and the delivery on the ground in the member states to address the key question about when and why state and non-state actors engage in support of regional… Mehr anzeigen

This paper discusses the political economy aspects of regional integration as these are essential features to consider when trying to engage in supporting such a complex agenda. It starts from the now widely recognised reality of the persistent gap between regional trade agreements as reached by the multiple Regional Economic Communities and the delivery on the ground in the member states to address the key question about when and why state and non-state actors engage in support of regional cooperation and integration. Based on a literature review of the Political Economy of Regional Integration, this paper introduces a political economy framework in the form of five lenses to better capture the political economy features in particular reforms and integration processes. The lenses are applied to different levels of regional processes to provide insights on the drivers and constraints to regional policies and their implementation. This is illustrated through two examples: (1) the political drivers and constraints to regional integration in the East African Community; and (2) a political economy analysis of the North-South Corridor (NSC) project of the EAC-COMESA-SADC Tripartite. Finally, the paper makes some propositions on how the African Development Bank can position itself to deliver in this complex area. Weniger anzeigen

This year’s ADR recognizes that regional integration is a tool for enhancing economic growth and fostering inclusion. The Report undertakes a careful examination of the opportunities available to countries and Regional Economic Communities in bringing about sustained growth and shared prosperity. It includes discussions on the development of regional supply networks and trade within Africa’s regional and global value chains. It also looks at the institutional issues, as well as the hard and… Mehr anzeigen

This year’s ADR recognizes that regional integration is a tool for enhancing economic growth and fostering inclusion. The Report undertakes a careful examination of the opportunities available to countries and Regional Economic Communities in bringing about sustained growth and shared prosperity. It includes discussions on the development of regional supply networks and trade within Africa’s regional and global value chains. It also looks at the institutional issues, as well as the hard and ‘soft’ infrastructure required to connect markets, enhance competitiveness, strengthen and deepen financial systems, and position Africa as a home for global business. Weniger anzeigen

The Africa Prosperity Report provides a comprehensive view of what’s happening in Africa beyond traditional economic indicators. It considers a broad set of indicators that tell us not only how nations perform economically but in vital areas such as education, governance, heath, safety and security, and more.
the report considers the middle class, which, as a group, is considered worldwide to be a driver of prosperity. Although the precise definition of the middle class in Africa remains an… Mehr anzeigen

The Africa Prosperity Report provides a comprehensive view of what’s happening in Africa beyond traditional economic indicators. It considers a broad set of indicators that tell us not only how nations perform economically but in vital areas such as education, governance, heath, safety and security, and more.
the report considers the middle class, which, as a group, is considered worldwide to be a driver of prosperity. Although the precise definition of the middle class in Africa remains an ongoing discussion, one thing is clear: its number has increased sharply in recent years due to the fast pace of economic growth. The private sector’s expansion has been critical in supporting the middle class’ emergence since they tend to be entrepreneurs or employed in stable jobs. The link between the middle class and prosperity is not, however, limited to monetary issues.
With a large part of the population living on less than two dollars a day, “Africa rising” is not a reality for most Africans. By supporting education quality, female entrepreneurship, and the rising middle class, African countries could avoid a future where inequality and chronic poverty persist in the midst of wealth and prosperity. In turn, this will empower disadvantaged groups that have been left out of the current economic boom, raising personal and national wellbeing. Weniger anzeigen

The ink was barely dry on the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) 2011 paper on The Middle of the
Pyramid: Dynamics of the Middle Class in Africa when the still on-going debate broke out as to whether Africa’s middle class really was rising or not or about the actual size of the rising middle class.
This paper seeks to provide an overview of some of the main arguments raised since then with the aim to propose how to move forward from sterile arguments towards a forward looking Pan-African… Mehr anzeigen

The ink was barely dry on the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) 2011 paper on The Middle of the
Pyramid: Dynamics of the Middle Class in Africa when the still on-going debate broke out as to whether Africa’s middle class really was rising or not or about the actual size of the rising middle class.
This paper seeks to provide an overview of some of the main arguments raised since then with the aim to propose how to move forward from sterile arguments towards a forward looking Pan-African Inclusive Growth Agenda that could ensure a sustained rise of Africa’s middle class. Notwithstanding the dire poverty figures, the key question we want to address in this paper is whether the number of people with a disposable income driving domestic demand has been growing or not.
Thus, the purpose of this paper is to emphasise, while the optimistic discourse in the last decade or so has revolved around Africa’s rising middle-class, not omit the context of both a fast unstoppable rise of fabulous rich and wealthy individuals in Africa through staggering business expansion and the fact that the poor classes still constitute the overwhelming majority in almost all the African countries. The message is that it is no longer necessary to try and claw out a larger portion of a limited pie based on status quo maintained by fear but to enjoy large portions of increasingly bigger national and regional pies on the continent.
The starting point is the on-going debate as to the classification of who is middle class:
• Are they a real middle class or just strugglers, or
• Are they the floating poor, a term the AfDB (2011) prefers to describe the same phenomenon?
In answering the above mentioned key question, the paper is limited by the fact that it does not present new evidence nor does it provide new estimations based on existing data. It simply reviews the existing pro (e.g. the AfDB; McKinsey etc.) and contra (Freemantle; Rowden etc.) arguments and statistics. Weniger anzeigen

The theme of the ADR in 2014 is “Leveraging Regional Integration for Inclusive Growth in Africa”, The Bank’s main goal is inclusive growth. Therefore, the aim of the ADR is to try to align the ADR with this ten year strategic goal and find ways in which regional integration could improve inclusive growth.

The African Development Report 2013/14 (ADR) was prepared under the overall guidance of Professor Mthuli Ncube (Chief Economist and Vice President, Economic Complex, AfDBcon), Gilbert… Mehr anzeigen

The theme of the ADR in 2014 is “Leveraging Regional Integration for Inclusive Growth in Africa”, The Bank’s main goal is inclusive growth. Therefore, the aim of the ADR is to try to align the ADR with this ten year strategic goal and find ways in which regional integration could improve inclusive growth.

The African Development Report 2013/14 (ADR) was prepared under the overall guidance of Professor Mthuli Ncube (Chief Economist and Vice President, Economic Complex, AfDBcon), Gilbert Mbesherubusa (Vice President, Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration), Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa (Director, Research Department (EDRE), Mr. Janvier K. LITSE (Director, NEPAD Regional Integration and Trade Department, ONRI), and Issa Faye (Division Manager, Research Department) and Ralph Olaye (Division Manager, NEPAD Division).

The report was jointly prepared by the Research Department and the NEPAD, Regional Integration and Trade Department. The core team comprised Ralf Krüger (Task Manager), Christian Kingombe (Co-task manager), Ilan Strauss, Audrey Chouchane, Rebecca Dadzie, Thierry Kangoye, Christian Kingombe, Gabriel Mougani, Emelly Mutambatsere, Ilan Strauss, Brennan Hodkinson as well as myself, Anne Sofie Westh Olsen. It was edited by Mark Pearson and David Short. Weniger anzeigen

This blog addresses the issue of divergence between the symbolic rhetoric and actual implementation of regional commitments, which the African electorate has been subjected to ever since the first visionary declarations about an integrated African continent first were pronounced more than half a century ago. The blog finds that despite measurable progress on the trade front both with the rest of the world as well as intra-regionally these trade flows still haven’t been sufficiently translated… Mehr anzeigen

This blog addresses the issue of divergence between the symbolic rhetoric and actual implementation of regional commitments, which the African electorate has been subjected to ever since the first visionary declarations about an integrated African continent first were pronounced more than half a century ago. The blog finds that despite measurable progress on the trade front both with the rest of the world as well as intra-regionally these trade flows still haven’t been sufficiently translated into significant social progress as measured by the AfDB’s new inclusive growth indicators. While the solutions to this inclusive growth constraint could be found within the Political Economy of Development Corridors; through enhanced Private sector dynamics in regional integration; by addressing the complexity of regional infrastructure planning; and/or through appropriate Governance of regional public goods, this blog explore another path, namely that of the role of Intra-regional coordination of national planning commissions. It is claimed that pursuing this avenue might ensure that the regional integration dimension will get sufficiently mainstreamed within the national development policies sine qua non reaching the deeper regional integration targets will be difficult to achieve within the Abuja Treaty’s proposed time frame. Finally, the blog supports the idea that multilateral development banks can play an important role by providing institutional capacity support to these national planning commissions, especially in the low income countries and the fragile states. Weniger anzeigen

Given the positive correlation between infrastructure improvements and GDP growth, this blog addresses the importance of having up-to-date data available for appropriate synthetic policy indicators in order to best treat key infrastructure policy questions. Through analysis of the most recently available African Economic Outlook infrastructure services data, it is clear that a striking infrastructure information challenge remains. The blog discusses a recent AfDB initiative, namely the African… Mehr anzeigen

Given the positive correlation between infrastructure improvements and GDP growth, this blog addresses the importance of having up-to-date data available for appropriate synthetic policy indicators in order to best treat key infrastructure policy questions. Through analysis of the most recently available African Economic Outlook infrastructure services data, it is clear that a striking infrastructure information challenge remains. The blog discusses a recent AfDB initiative, namely the African Infrastructure Development Index through the Africa Infrastructure Knowledge Program, as a tool to overcome the persistent information barrier by bringing much-needed up-to-date data on the status of infrastructure upon which policy-making can be made. It concludes by making an innovative proposal on how the data collection can be further improved.
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Short Introduction in English:
After a few decades out in the cold intra-regional trade is back on the front row of Pan-African development discourse. This opinion discusses how intra-regional trade as a policy tool can be the trigger that unlock Africa’s quest to structurally transform through intra-regional trade driven industrialization.

Introduction en Français:
Après avoir été mis à l’écart pendant quelques dizaines d’années le commerce intra-régional reprend à nouveau le… Mehr anzeigen

Short Introduction in English:
After a few decades out in the cold intra-regional trade is back on the front row of Pan-African development discourse. This opinion discusses how intra-regional trade as a policy tool can be the trigger that unlock Africa’s quest to structurally transform through intra-regional trade driven industrialization.

Introduction en Français:
Après avoir été mis à l’écart pendant quelques dizaines d’années le commerce intra-régional reprend à nouveau le devant de la scène du discours Panafricain sur le développement. Ce blog traite de la façon dont le commerce intra-régional utilisé comme outil politique permet à l’Afrique de se transformer économiquement à travers l’industrialisation.
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The literacy requirements of both globalization and technological change necessitate enhancement of literacy education and training to keep pace with these phenomena. Sierra Leone‘s An Agenda for Change – Second Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRSPII) 2008-2012 has mainstreamed youth employment and the
government has developed a National Action Plan on Youth Employment. Moreover, TVET in Sierra Leone needs a new focus and new direction to strongly respond to the PRSP. In fact a national… Mehr anzeigen

The literacy requirements of both globalization and technological change necessitate enhancement of literacy education and training to keep pace with these phenomena. Sierra Leone‘s An Agenda for Change – Second Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRSPII) 2008-2012 has mainstreamed youth employment and the
government has developed a National Action Plan on Youth Employment. Moreover, TVET in Sierra Leone needs a new focus and new direction to strongly respond to the PRSP. In fact a national harmonized policy for TVET is required for a national curriculum. Hitherto, the development and implementation of TVET reform programmes has been severely hampered by budgetary constraints in all 16 countries in the ECOWAS. Based on frontier research on the lessons learned from recent TVET reforms in other developing countries , this paper aims to inform the future comprehensive design and implementation of strategies for TVET in Sierra Leone .
The paper makes suggestions for how to address future challenges and opportunities to ensure that the good performance of TVET reforms contribute to the promotion of sustainable growth through private sector
development. The paper is structured as follows. Section 2 provides a stock taking of the available quantitative evidence on the impact of TVET. Section 3 presents and discusses different institutional and strategic TVET
frameworks. Section 4 discusses the importance of a demand-oriented TVET system. Section 5 discusses the various existing and potential sources for the financing of the TVET system. Section 6 pres ents various examples of successful external cooperation on TVET projects in Africa and Asia. Finally, section 7 concludes and presents policy options . Weniger anzeigen

This Briefing Note draws on a Background Brief prepared as part of ILEAP’s work programme on trade in services for the 29-30 March 2012 workshop: African Union/RECs Workshop On Trade in Services, in collaboration with ILEAP and the African Development Bank. It was drafted under ILEAP’s coordination by Christian Kingombe (ODI), with inputs and comments from David Primack

How do partner countries and donors define the success of donor investment in rural feeder roads? These Aid-for-Trade (AfT) interventions – categorised as either labour-based or equipment-based rural transport infrastructure (RTI) – are engineered earth roads that connect rural areas to urban centres via the connection to secondary district roads (Howe, 1984). Despite the large amounts spent on rural roads, there is remarkably little formal evidence on their benefits to households or to… Mehr anzeigen

How do partner countries and donors define the success of donor investment in rural feeder roads? These Aid-for-Trade (AfT) interventions – categorised as either labour-based or equipment-based rural transport infrastructure (RTI) – are engineered earth roads that connect rural areas to urban centres via the connection to secondary district roads (Howe, 1984). Despite the large amounts spent on rural roads, there is remarkably little formal evidence on their benefits to households or to enterprises. What has been lacking is a general methodology, using micro-data, to estimate these gains. Weniger anzeigen