Tag: entrepreneur

Africa, Français, Policy

La promesse du « made in Africa » ne sera tenue qu’en misant sur les entrepreneurs locaux

Forum Afrique2017-Visual Identity - FR-3

Par Victor Harison, commissaire aux affaires économiques de la Commission de l’UA. et Mario Pezzini, l’ancien directeur du Centre de développement de l’OCDE et conseiller spécial auprès du secrétaire général de l’OCDE chargé du développement.

The topic discussed here builds on the success of the 2017 Africa Forum

Made-in-AfricaLe « made in Africa » fait son grand retour parmi les priorités des décideurs en Afrique. Ainsi de l’Agenda 2063 de l’Union africaine (UA), qui vise à transformer les économies du continent pour créer une croissance partagée, des emplois décents et des opportunités économiques pour tous. Pourtant il faudra bien davantage que des rêves ambitieux d’industrialisation pour que ce label et cet objectif prennent corps.

Les politiques et stratégies industrielles joueront certes un rôle essentiel, mais elles doivent être repensées profondément. D’abord parce que les efforts d’industrialisation après les indépendances n’ont remporté qu’un succès limité, mais aussi parce que les technologies de production ont subi une révolution, qui n’est pas seulement numérique. L’économie mondiale a radicalement changé, et l’Afrique aussi.
Continue reading “La promesse du « made in Africa » ne sera tenue qu’en misant sur les entrepreneurs locaux”

Development Matters
Africa, Building resilience, Policy

Management and industrialisation in Africa

Forum Afrique2017-Visual Identity - FR-3

By Daniela Scur and Nicolas Lippolis, University of Oxford

Learn more about this timely topic at the upcoming
17th International Economic Forum on Africa
Register to attend

Africa-IndustrialisaionThe manufacturing sector has traditionally been seen as an engine for development due to its high propensity for productivity gains. Worryingly, recent evidence suggests that this has not been the case in Africa.1 One important determinant of firm productivity is the quality of management practices, and new data sheds light on the state of management in some African countries.

Management around the world

For over 12 years, the World Management Survey (WMS) has been collecting data on management practices using an interview-based methodology. It defines 18 key management practices and scores them from worst practice (1) to best practice (5). The focus is on such practices as monitoring, target-setting and incentives/people management. Research using this data suggests a strong correlation between management and a series of productivity measures – such as firm size, profitability, sales growth, market value and survival. Experimental evidence further confirms a positive correlation.2 Continue reading “Management and industrialisation in Africa”

Development Matters
Africa, Building resilience

What’s standing in the way of South Africa’s entrepreneurs?

By Talitha Bertelsmann-Scott, Head : Economic Diplomacy Programme, and the entire Economic Diplomacy Programme team, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)

Explore the 2017 African Economic Outlook: Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation in Africa for more on this subject.

Sout-Africa-EntreIndustrialisation is a key driver of sustainable development. It creates jobs, adds value and promotes trade through greater integration into global value chains. At the same time, entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are critical to every economy by creating jobs and innovative goods, promoting a competitive environment and economic growth, and facilitating income distribution. The South African government recognises the need for entrepreneurship and SMEs’ engagement with industrialisation efforts to address some of the key socio-economic challenges in the country, particularly poverty, inequality and unemployment. However, South African entrepreneurs 1 still face a number of constraints that hinder greater participation in industrialisation efforts. So, what are the roadblocks standing in the way of entrepreneurs? Continue reading “What’s standing in the way of South Africa’s entrepreneurs?”

Development Matters
Africa, Green transition

Green Industrialisation and Entrepreneurship in Africa

By Milan Brahmbhatt, Senior Fellow, New Climate Economy (NCE) and World Resources Institute1

Explore this topic further with the upcoming launch of the
2017 African Economic Outlook: Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation in Africa.
Stay tuned for details

Solar salesman in Gulu Uganda Photo credit James Anderson
Solar salesman in Gulu, Uganda. Photo credit: James Anderson

Policy makers across Africa have embraced industrialisation and economic transformation as keys to accelerate inclusive growth. They also increasingly see the need for economic transformation to deliver green growth – growth that does not endanger Africa’s natural environment in ways that reduce the welfare of present and future generations. Economic transformation and green growth depend on doing new things: making risky investments in new, unfamiliar sectors or products or adopting new, unfamiliar methods, processes, technologies, inputs or business models. All this depends crucially on the activity of entrepreneurs, who drive change through their innovation and risk-taking. Fostering entrepreneurship, including green entrepreneurship, is thus a key policy aim for African countries.

Continue reading “Green Industrialisation and Entrepreneurship in Africa”

Development Matters
Africa, Gender, Women and Girls

Little changes for women entrepreneurs in Africa unless mindsets and policies change

By Mike Herrington, Executive Director, GEM Global

Explore this topic further with the upcoming launch of the
2017 African Economic Outlook: Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation in Africa.
Stay tuned for details.

women-africa
Women selling eggs in Kigali, Rwanda

In the last decade, most countries in Africa underwent radical transformation, increased their GDP per capita and moved towards globalisation. Just look at Botswana where GDP per capita increased from USD 7 136 in 2013 to USD 7 505 in 2014, or Cameroon that saw an increase from USD 1 271 to USD 1 405, or Nigeria that experienced a jump from USD 1 692 to USD 3298 during the same period.1 

 However, to move closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the continent needs to change the mindset of people and pursue policies to boost the development of small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) to help reduce poverty and unemployment, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Continue reading “Little changes for women entrepreneurs in Africa unless mindsets and policies change”

Development Matters