This report continues the tradition of excellent collaboration among the Pan African institutions – the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It provides the...

Executive Summary 1. Overview and Background. This report on Botswana is the first of two country studies (the second concerns Mali) that examine gender and employment in Africa. The study is informed by two broad development frameworks. The first is the Millennium Development Agenda that views...

Executive Summary 1. Overview and Background. This report on Mali is the second of two country studies (the first concerns Botswana) that examine gender and employment in Africa. The study is informed by two broad development frameworks. The first is the Millennium Development Agenda that views...

• Intra-African trade remains very low. Lack of product diversification, low trade complementarity among African countries and high trade costs perpetuate this situation. • Poor transport and communications infrastructure and unreliable power are key constraints to Africa’s ability to trade with...

• Africa’s exposure to different commodity classes require differentiated strategies to address the problem of commodity price volatility. The “onesize-fits-all” approach should be avoided. More attention should also be given to the problem of speculation and to non-oil commodities. • Management...

Industrial production has continued to expand in most major economies, despite some loss of momentum in recent months. In Japan, industrial output has declined significantly but is expected to rebound strongly in the next few months. By contrast, industrial output in the rest of the world is...

International recent initiatives called aid donors community to urgently increase Official Development Assistance flows to allow poor countries to reach the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2007 (the midway through the 15-year-long process of achieving the socalled MDGs), mid-term reviews of...

Foreign direct investment (FDI), as a key element of the globalization and of the world economy, is a driver of employment, technological progress, productivity improvements, and ultimately economic growth. It plays the critical roles of filling the development, foreign exchange, investment, and...

Increased maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia is affecting the delivery of food aid to war torn Somalia. It is also creating a challenge to maritime trade and other maritime economic opportunities. • Rerouting tankers carrying oil from the Gulf of Aden to the Cape of Good Hope costs around...