Back

AES 2023 - Session 4 : Industrial Policy for Innovation and Technology Upgrading in Africa

September 22, 2023
Related topics: 
Economy
Sectorial policies and structural transformation
Africa

After decades of market-oriented free-trade policies supposed to efficiently allocate resources across industries in a way that reflects consumer preferences and technological possibilities, industrial policy is making a strong comeback. Such “Laisser-Faire” policies have undoubtedly acted as a catalyst for income catch-up and contributed significantly to poverty reduction across developing countries but were certainly not without blemish. There is some evidence that the set of economic policies prescribed by the Washington Consensus led to the demise of certain infant industries, limited the creation of local value-added, and trapped these developing countries in a technological dependency. Consequently, government intervention in designing the industrial policy is today more than justified to address the different market imperfections. As far as the African continent is concerned, there is a real need to foster innovation and approach the technological frontier. Africa cannot rely solely on FDI to develop its domestic industries and foster economic growth overall. Besides, African policymakers should also learn lessons from the failure of previous import-substitution policies, that didn’t ensure a rise of competitive local industries.

- How can Africa best negotiate this new turn to industrial policy design?

- What should be done to ensure that the next industrial policy will foster innovation and encourage intellectual protection?

- How can the African continent make the best use of its comparative advantage in terms of population, to re-skill the human capital?

Chair: Abdelkhalek Touhami, Full Professor, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco)

Speakers: Andy McKay, Professor, University of Sussex (UK) Mustapha Kamel Nabli, Senior Associate, Economic Research Forum (Tunisia) Thierry Warin, Professor, HEC Montréal (Canada)

RELATED CONTENT

  • Walking the Talk of the Africa Rising Narrative
    Authors
    Nisrine Ouazzani
    January 6, 2016
    The economic growth of the African continent and its positioning as an emerging force is a reality no longer questioned. Optimism surrounding the Africa rising narrative is supported by a growing young workforce, an expanding middle class, new discoveries of natural resources and minerals, relative political stability and infrastructure developments. Economic and international financial actors now recognize the potential that the continent represents for the world economy, consider ...
  • Download PDF
    The Improving Global Outlook and Morocco
    Authors
    Uri Dadush
    December 23, 2015
    Global economic growth is likely to be a little better in 2016 than this year’s lackluster outcome. The ongoing slow recovery in the United States and Europe is likely to continue. However, weakness in China as well as several large emerging markets, and sluggishness of world trade, mean that risks are weighted on the downside of this forecast. Morocco, which is reliant on European markets, is a heavy importer of oil, and whose currency has devalued in effective terms, should find t ...
  • Ghana: quel modèle de développement à moyen terme?
    Authors
    Clémence Vergne
    November 19, 2015
    Au cours de la dernière décennie, le Ghana a enregistré des taux de croissance moyens supérieurs à 7 % par an, ce qui lui a permis d’accéder au statut de pays à revenu intermédiaire de la tranche inférieure. Toutefois, la croissance a récemment marqué le pas pour s’établir à 4,2 % en 2014, ce qui soulève la question de la pérennité du modèle de développement du pays. Le Ghana se trouve désormais à un stade critique de son processus de développement. Une transformation structurelle ...
  • Global Value Chains: The Missing Link in Sub-Saharan Africa’s Trade Integration
    Authors
    Roger Nord
    September 18, 2015
    Sub-Saharan Africa’s trade flows increased sharply, multiplying by a factor of five over the past 20 years. Is this boom built on commodities only?  My answer is no ! Many countries have increased their integration in global value chains. But, it is also clear that sub-Saharan Africa still has some way to go. Increased trade boosts for growth Over the last two decades, the export-to-GDP ratio in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 20½ percent in 1995 to 27½ percent in 2013. Thi ...
  • Agricultural policies at the service of development
    Authors
    Abdelaaziz Ait Ali
    July 21, 2015
    The 16th Annual Global Development Conference has been dedicated this year to the theme of ‘Agriculture for Sustainable Growth: Challenges and Opportunities for a New ‘Green Revolution’.  One of the sub-themes that has been addressed during this event is related to the design of the optimal agricultural policy supposed to lead towards development, especially in low-income countries. The objective of this blog is to cover the key elements that make an agricultural policy su ...
  • L’instabilité des prix des matières premières : Un phénomène complexe à caractère systémique
    Authors
    Karim EL MOKRI
    July 6, 2015
    « Les asymétries et l’instabilité du marché des matières premières dans les pays en développement : politiques et impacts sur le développement », une problématique d’un intérêt particulier pour ces pays, a fait l’objet d’un séminaire de recherche organisé par la Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement International (Ferdi), les 24 et 25 juin 2015 à Clermont-Ferrand. Cet évènement a été tenu la veille du workshop co-organisé par la Ferdi et OCP Policy Center ...