Globalization has had a big impact on many African countries in the last 20 years. It has provided a consi - derably expanded market for their exports; allowed them to specialize more in products for which they have a comparative advantage; and given their consumers access to an array of goods that...

How can developing economies escape from the trap of middle- or low-income status in which the majority has been for decades? Drawing lessons from the experiences of China, this piece argues that an economically successful country must have the market as its foundation with, on top of that, the...

The future of Africa’s development, most notably achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and the High Five of the African Development Bank, would pretty much hinge on harnessing the resource rents for financing the continent’s structural transformation and...

Colonial economies were primarily based on agriculture, mining and commerce. Cash crops and minerals were exported with very little value added. Though Ghana emerged as the world’s leading producing of cocoa in 1911 and has been for centuries an important exporter of gold (hence its former name,...

The historical account of financial integration and cooperation in Africa is somewhat chequered and dates back to the colonial era. The earliest record of efforts towards regionalization was with the establishment of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) in 1910. Recent trends toward...

The past two decades have witnessed a transformation of the electricity market in Africa following the gradual opening, liberalization, and reform of national electricity markets. A fundamental component of the transformation process has been the establishment of national regulatory institutions...