Development and building trade capacity

The reorganization of supply chains using advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and autonomous robotics, is transforming the model of supply chain management from a linear one, in which instructions flow from supplier to producer to distributor to consumer, and back, to a more integrated model in which information flows in an omnidirectional manner to the supply chain. While e-commerce is uniquely suit Read More

The aim of this chapter is to examine the broad framework which has been evolved for the reception of Aid for Trade (AFT) in Namibia. The economic situation before this period included the prevalence of poverty, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, low educational opportunities and a very highly skewed or unequal distribution of the wealth of the country, which has increased income inequalities and unsustainable economic growth, as outlined in Namibia Visio Read More

Geography is unkind. This could be a result of historical accident, wars or colonial boundaries but the results are the same. The classical definition of the factors of production is land, labour and capital. It is a fact of life that some countries have a limited supply of all three.

This chapter evaluates the impact on competitiveness of reforms undertaken by recently acceded countries and draws lessons for African countries pursuing the goal of becoming emerging economies. By comparing reform outcomes before and after accessions relative to control groups using the difference-in-difference evaluation method, the chapter concludes that the recently acceded members improved their international competitiveness, although t Read More

Informality is associated with increased vulnerability of countries to economic shocks. At the same time, informality raises the likelihood of being affected by (external) shocks. The combination of these two tendencies can create a vicious circle, weakening the long-term performance of a country, lowering the potential benefi ts it can derive from trade and reducing economic well-being. This chapter discusses how informal employment evolves over the Read More

Twenty-first century Africa is in a process of economic transformation, but challenges remain in areas such as structural reform, governance, commodity pricing and geopolitics. This book looks into key questions facing the continent, such as how Africa can achieve deeper integration into the rules-based multilateral trading system and the global economy. It provides a range of perspectives on the future of the multilateral trading system and Africa’ Read More

On 14 February 2020, Africa confirmed its first COVID-19 case in Egypt. To date, over 1 million cases have been reported, and there have been cases in every country on the continent. A study in May 2020 from the WHO Africa Regional Office posited that, within the first year of the pandemic, between 83,000 and 190,000 deaths and 5 million related hospitalizations could occur, and a further 29 to 44 million people could be infected if containment measures Read More

En 2013, el comercio mundial de mercancías siguió creciendo a un ritmo moderado del 2,2%, casi idéntico al incremento en el 2,3% del año anterior. Tanto en 2012 como en 2013, el crecimiento fue inferior al promedio del 5,3% de los 20 últimos años, y también considerablemente inferior al promedio del 6% de los 20 años inmediatamente anteriores a la crisis de 2008-2009. El volumen del comercio mundial de mercancías siguió aumentando lentamente Read More