Since the early 1990s, Tunisia has concluded a series of international agreements which provide for gradual trade liberalization. This process of integration into the global economy is taking place within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership as well as the World Trade Organization (...

China’s presence in North African economies (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia) is expanding rapidly as both an important trading partner and increasingly as an investor into the region. Chinese involvement can be readily seen in sectors like energy, infrastructure development and retail...

How to ensure that mineral resource wealth contributes to sustainable economic development has been a perennial topic concerning many African countries. It is an especially pressing issue in countries that are rich in resources, but perform poorly on a host of development indicators. Too many...

Energy subsidies in Egypt have existed for a long time and have been formally justified as a means of ensuring affordable energy services to lower income households. However, the sustainability of these subsidies has been questioned in the recent years due to the limitations on the domestic...

For over five decades, regional integration has been part of the African continent’s overarching strategy for economic transformation. The establishment of regional trade agreements (RTAs) and regional economic communities (RECs) was viewed as the panacea for a whole range of socioeconomic,...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a major role in economic development in every country, including in African countries. Studies indicate that in both advanced economies and developing countries SMEs contribute on average 60 percent of total formal employment in the manufacturing sector (...

Overcoming extreme poverty remains at the top of the development agenda in Africa and this commitment is paying off but at a slower pace. Recent evidence1 indicates that poverty in Africa and in all the regions of the world declined over the period 2005-2010. In Africa, the proportion of people...

The world economy once again is in turmoil due to sovereign debt crisis in the United States (US) and Europe. The US credit downgrade came at a critical time for the world as it may have the effect of gearing up market sentiment against a rapid recovery. Stock markets plunged on news of the...

This paper makes a case for linking Africa through regional infrastructure by showing that sound infrastructure is critical to any development process and thus impacts on the quality of development of any country or region and consequently on the quality of life of its people. The critical role of...