Africa's Pulse, No. 19, April 2019

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 146481421X
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 19, April 2019 by : Cesar Calderon

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 19, April 2019 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-08 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have decelerated from 2.5 percent in 2017 to 2.3 percent in 2018, below the rate of growth of population for a fourth consecutive year. Regional growth in 2018 is below the pace projected in 2018 October issue of Africa's Pulse {0.4 percentage points lower). This slowdown was more pronounced in the first half of 2018 and it reflected weaker exports among the region's large oil exporters (Nigeria and Angola) due to dwindling oil production amid higher but volatile international prices for crude petroleum. A deeper contraction in Sudanese economic activity and a broad-based growth slowdown among non-resource-intensive countries also played a role. Sub-Saharan African countries with fragile context have made considerable efforts to find a way out of fragility. Regional and sub-regional economic organizations are promoting economic cooperation and addressing security and peace challenges that go beyond national borders. The special topic of this issue of Africa's Pulse argues that the digital economy can unlock new pathways for inclusive growth, innovation, job creation, service delivery and poverty reduction in Africa. The continent has made. great strides in mobile connectivity; however, it still lags the rest of the world in access to broadband. Only 27 percent of the population in the continent have access to internet, few citizens have digital IDs, businesses are slowly adopting digital technologies and only few governments are investing strategically in developing digital infrastructure, services, skills, and entrepreneurship.

The Spending Challenge for Reaching the SDGs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons Learned from Benin and Rwanda

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Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1513523066
Total Pages : 26 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (135 download)

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Book Synopsis The Spending Challenge for Reaching the SDGs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons Learned from Benin and Rwanda by : Delphine Prady

Download or read book The Spending Challenge for Reaching the SDGs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons Learned from Benin and Rwanda written by Delphine Prady and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-12-06 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper documents the additional spending that is required for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to achieve meaningful progress in SDGs by 2030. Benin and Rwanda are presented in detail through case studies. The main lessons are: i) average additional spending across SSA is significant, at 19 percent of GDP in 2030; ii) countries must prioritize their development objectives according to their capacity to deliver satisfactory outcomes, iii) financing strategies should articulate multiple sources given the scale of additional spending, and iv) strong national ownership of SDGs is key and should be reflected in long-term development plans and medium-term policy commitments.

Economic Inclusion in Post-Independence Africa

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 303131431X
Total Pages : 383 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (313 download)

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Book Synopsis Economic Inclusion in Post-Independence Africa by : David Mhlanga

Download or read book Economic Inclusion in Post-Independence Africa written by David Mhlanga and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-04 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second in a three-volume series, this edited volume discusses post-independence economic inclusion in selected African countries. While human development indices rise and poverty rates fall across the African continent, facilitated by recent technological and innovation development which reaches previously inaccessible regions, indicators continue to lag in several crucial areas. Economic and social inclusion, therefore, remains at the forefront of development discussions across the continent. Using a variety of case studies underpinned by multidisciplinary research approaches, the chapters in this book explore a wide range of economic and financial inclusion issues from all aspects; from benefits and challenges to the steps that need to be taken to improve the level of economic inclusion on the continent. Governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations with a bias toward development, students, and university lecturers will all find this book interesting.

Africa's Pulse, No. 20, October 2019

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464815097
Total Pages : 108 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 20, October 2019 by : Cesar Calderon

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 20, October 2019 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-10-09 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growth in sub-Saharan Africa has slightly recovered in 2019 (2.6 percent) from 2.5 percent in 2018. Economic recovery continues at a sluggish pace with growth in the region expected to pick up to 3 .1 percent in 2020 and 3 .2 percent in 2021. Accelerating poverty reduction in Africa requires action in four policy areas: fertility reduction, leveraging the food system on and off the farm, addressing risk and conflict, and providing more public financing to the poverty reduction agenda. Sustaining growth and eradicating poverty calls for policy solutions to empower African women in the following dimensions: building the right skills, relieving capital constraints, securing land rights, connecting women to labor, addressing social norms that limit women's economic opportunities, and boosting the capacity of the next generation.

Africa's Pulse, No. 25, April 2022

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Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464818711
Total Pages : 132 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 25, April 2022 by : Cesar Calderon

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 25, April 2022 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2022-04-13 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sub-Saharan Africa's recovery from the pandemic is expected to decelerate in 2022 amid a slowdown in global economic activity, continued supply constraints, outbreaks of new coronavirus variants, climatic shocks, high inflation, and rising financial risks due to high and increasingly vulnerable debt levels. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the already existing tensions and vulnerabilities affecting the continent. Given the sources of growth in the region and the nature of the economic linkages with Russia and Ukraine, the war in Ukraine might have a marginal impact on economic growth and on overall poverty—as this shock affects mostly the urban poor and vulnerable people living just above the poverty line. However, its largest impact is on the increasing likelihood of civil strife as a result of food- and energy-fueled inflation amid an environment of heightened political instability. The looming threats of stagflation require a two-pronged strategy that combines short-term measures to contain inflationary pressures and medium-to-long-term policies that accelerate the structural transformation and create more and better jobs. In response to supply shocks, monetary policy in the region may prove ineffective to bring down inflation and other short-run options may be restricted by the lack of fiscal space. Concessional financing might be key to helping countries alleviate the impact of food and fuel inflation. Over the medium term, avoiding stagflation may require a combination of actionable measures that improve the resilience of the economy by shoring up productivity and job creation. Lastly, ongoing actions to enhance social protection—including dynamic delivery systems for rapid scalability and shock-sensitive financing—could be strengthened further to improve economic resilience against shocks and foster investments in productive assets.

Africa's Pulse, No. 27, April 2023

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464819858
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 27, April 2023 by : The World Bank

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 27, April 2023 written by The World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2023-04-05 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa slowed to 3.6 percent in 2022, from 4.1 percent in 2021 but may be bottoming out. Weak investment growth and macroeconomic instability are weighing on economic activity. Inflation remains persistently high and above target despite early and sizable interest rate increase. Amid unfavorable global financial conditions and high levels of debt, African policymakers must bank on their domestic policy space to restore macroeconomic stability, deepen structural reforms to foster inclusive growth, and implement policies that harness the region's resource wealth during the low carbon transmission. This natural wealth holds significant untapped economic potential to address fiscal challenges and drive economic transformation. The low carbon transition is irreversible and will be intensive in the minerals required for the clean energy transition, many of which are abundant across Africa.

Africa's Pulse, No. 21, Spring 2020

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464815682
Total Pages : 136 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 21, Spring 2020 by : Cesar Calderon

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 21, Spring 2020 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on human life and brought major disruption to economic activity across the world. Despite a late arrival, the COVID-19 virus has spread rapidly across Sub-Saharan Africa in recent weeks. Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to decline from 2.4 percent in 2019 to -2.1 to -5.1 percent in 2020, the first recession in the region in 25 years. The coronavirus is hitting the region’s three largest economies —Nigeria, South Africa, and Angola— in a context of persistently weak growth and investment. In particular, countries that depend on oil and mining exports would be hit the hardest. The negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on household welfare would be equally dramatic. African policymakers need to develop a two-pronged strategy of “saving lives and protecting livelihoods.†? This strategy includes relief measures and recovery measures aimed at strengthening health systems, providing income support to workers and liquidity support to viable businesses. However, financing of these policies will be challenging amid deteriorating fiscal positions and heightened public debt vulnerabilities. Therefore, African countries will require financial assistance from their development partners -including COVID-19 related multilateral assistance and a debt service stand still with creditors.

Entrepreneurship in Africa

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429688598
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

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Book Synopsis Entrepreneurship in Africa by : Ven Sriram

Download or read book Entrepreneurship in Africa written by Ven Sriram and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-11-16 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is now widely recognized that in regions like Africa, for economic and other reasons, the public sector has had to disengage and divest from many areas of the economy and allow private enterprise, especially scalable start-ups and new ventures, to enter and flourish if economic development and employment are to grow. There is, however, a training and education gap since entrepreneurship is rarely taught formally at African universities and, when it is, it is often approached from a Western perspective which may not be appropriate given that African environments are significantly different from most Western ones in terms of economic infrastructure and political considerations. This book allows readers to understand the African entrepreneurial context by guiding them through the principal stages in the life of a new venture, and offers approaches, both Western and indigenous, that can inform their entrepreneurial actions. It concludes by examining some specialized topics, including female, youth, and social entrepreneurship, as well as real estate and technology. Exercises throughout the book will enable readers to evaluate their motivations and preparedness for entrepreneurship and learn how to communicate a new venture’s key features to potential stakeholders. By focusing on the distinctive features of entrepreneurship in the African context, and taking a conversational tone, this is an informative and practical text that will be useful for students of Global Entrepreneurship and Business as well as actual and prospective entrepreneurs in the private, non-profit, and public sectors.

Africa's Pulse, No. 26, October 2022

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464819327
Total Pages : 108 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 26, October 2022 by : Cesar Calderon

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 26, October 2022 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2022-10-04 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African economies are facing a series of challenges to their post-pandemic recovery. Economic activity in the region is slowing to 3.3 percent amid global headwinds, including weak global growth and tightening global financial conditions. Elevated inflation rates and resulting policy tightening, as well as the rising risk of debt distress, are also impacting economic activity. While food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa was increasing before the onset of Covid-19, the pandemic and the food and energy crisis have contributed to the recent steep increase in food insecurity and malnutrition. Climate shocks, low productivity in agriculture, lack of infrastructure also contribute to rising food insecurity in the region. The economic fallout from the multiple crises affecting the region has lowered household incomes, increased poverty, widen inequality and heightened food insecurity. This report discusses short-term measures combined with medium- to long-term policy actions that can strengthen African countries' capacity to build resilience and seize opportunities to unlock productivity-enhancing growth while protecting the poor and vulnerable.

Africa's Pulse, No. 18, October 2018

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464813655
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 18, October 2018 by : Cesar Calderon

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 18, October 2018 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-10-03 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Africa's Pulse is a biannual publication containing an analysis of the near-term macroeconomic outlook for the region. Each issue also includes a section focusing upon a topic that represents a particular development challenge for the continent. It is produced by the Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region of the World Bank. Recent data point to a weakening of economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018, according to the new Africa's Pulse, a bi-annual analysis of the state of African economies conducted by the World Bank. The growth slowdown can be attributed to the lower than expected performance of the large countries in the region (South Africa and Nigeria). The downswing reflects poorer performance in agriculture following droughts and lower performance of commodity sectors."

Leveraging Export Diversification in Fragile Countries

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Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464814902
Total Pages : 165 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Leveraging Export Diversification in Fragile Countries by : José López-Cálix

Download or read book Leveraging Export Diversification in Fragile Countries written by José López-Cálix and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020-02-12 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite multiple past efforts, fragile Sub-Saharan African economies such as those of Mali, Chad, Niger, and Guinea still rank among the least diversified worldwide, with natural resources constituting a high share of their gross domestic product or exports. Large-scale production of gold for Mali, oil for Chad, uranium for Niger, and bauxite for Guinea offers substantial opportunities, but also has major shortcomings. Conclusive evidence shows poor economic performance by resource-rich but fragile Sub-Saharan African countries. The primary reason is not only their high vulnerability to external shocks, but the greed or grievances that typically lead to rents appropriation by a small group of elites in countries that are prone to conflict. Leveraging Export Diversifi cation in Fragile Countries explores the following questions: What are Mali’s, Chad’s, Niger’s, and Guinea’s main constraints to export diversification as perceived by key exporting firms? How it could be beneficial for these countries to target certain emerging export products? Are their current interventions to promote global value chain (GVC) adequate? What lessons can be extracted from specific cases? How can trade and logistic policies favor (or hamper) export diversification†“led growth? The book lays the groundwork for effective step-by-step multidimensional policies to propel export diversification in fragile economies that are hindered not only by poor governance and weak institutions, but also by their landlocked position (except Guinea), small domestic markets, and business-unfriendly environments. Recognizing that traditional project interventions in these countries have had limited success, mainly due to their unidimensional focus on single components of an agricultural value chain, the book proposes a GVC 2.0 cluster-based approach to export diversification, in which complementary efforts attract foreign firms and public investment in support of agribusiness. Promising pilot examples of joint implementation plans among multiple donors, risk-sharing facilities, and agribusiness clusters provide valuable insights into recent global value chain developer interventions.

COVID-19 and Sovereign Debt: The case of SADC

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Author :
Publisher : Pretoria University Law Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 383 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis COVID-19 and Sovereign Debt: The case of SADC by : Daniel D. Bradlow

Download or read book COVID-19 and Sovereign Debt: The case of SADC written by Daniel D. Bradlow and published by Pretoria University Law Press. This book was released on 2022-02-23 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multi-disciplinary publication focuses on the issue of African sovereign debt management and renegotiation/ restructuring, with a particular concentration on the countries that are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). It contains a series of essays that were initially presented in several workshops held at the height of the pandemic, in 2020. These essays seek to both understand the debt challenges facing these countries and to offer some policy-oriented suggestions on how they can more effectively address these. They include contributions by global and regional scholars who are seasoned experts and newer researchers and discuss the complexities on debt management and restructuring within the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this presented an opportunity for junior researchers from the region to contribute to international discussions on a topic in which the views of young Africans are not heard as often or as clearly as they should be, especially given the importance of the topic to Africa and its future. Further, this book is expected to stimulate debate among academics, activists, policy makers and practitioners on how SADC should manage its debt.

Delivering Growth to People Through Better Jobs

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Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464820430
Total Pages : 130 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Delivering Growth to People Through Better Jobs by : Weltbankgruppe

Download or read book Delivering Growth to People Through Better Jobs written by Weltbankgruppe and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2023 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to slow to 2.5 percent in 2023 from 3.6 percent in 2022. It is projected to increase to 3.7 percent in 2024 and 4.1 percent in 2025. However, in per capita terms, the region is projected to slightly contract over 2015-2025. The region faces many challenges, including a "lost decade" of sluggish growth, persistently low per capita income, mounting fiscal pressures exacerbated by high debt burdens, and an urgent need for job creation. Tackling these multifaceted issues requires comprehensive reforms to promote economic prosperity, reduce poverty, and create sustainable employment opportunities in the region. This will require an ecosystem that facilitates firm entry, stability, growth, and skill development that matches business demand.

Africa's Pulse, No. 29, Spring 2024

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464821097
Total Pages : 88 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 29, Spring 2024 by : The World Bank

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 29, Spring 2024 written by The World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2024-04-08 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic growth is expected to rebound in Sub-Saharan Africa, supported by increased private consumption and declining inflation in 2024. However, this positive outlook remains fragile due to uncertain global economic conditions, low fiscal buffers, growing debt service obligation, costly external borrowing, and escalating conflict and violence, which continue to weigh on economic activity in the region. Despite the projected boost in growth, the pace of economic expansion in the region remains slow and insufficient to significantly affect poverty reduction. Structural inequality is at the core of these challenges and tackling it can help to restore growth and accelerate poverty reduction. While domestic resource mobilization and support from the international community can help alleviate the region's funding squeeze, investing in human capital, and strengthening local capacity for service delivery can build people's capacity to seize market opportunities. Policies that boost market access by addressing institutional distortions and market imperfections are also critical for fostering inclusive growth.

Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities?

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Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464814058
Total Pages : 59 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities? by : Kirsten Hommann

Download or read book Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities? written by Kirsten Hommann and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-18 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For African cities to grow economically as they have grown in size, they must create productive environments to attract investments, increase economic efficiency, and create livable environments that prevent urban costs from rising with increased population densification. What are the central obstacles that prevent African cities and towns from becoming sustainable engines of economic growth and prosperity? Among the most critical factors that limit the growth and livability of urban areas are land markets, investments in public infrastructure and assets, and the institutions to enable both. To unleash the potential of African cities and towns for delivering services and employment in a livable and environmentally friendly environment, a sequenced approach is needed to reform institutions and policies and to target infrastructure investments. This book lays out three foundations that need fixing to guide cities and towns throughout Sub-Saharan Africa on their way to productivity and livability.

Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth

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Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464816875
Total Pages : 151 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth by : Marcio Cruz

Download or read book Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth written by Marcio Cruz and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2022-05-27 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Senegal, like all African countries, needs better and more jobs for its growing population. The main message of Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth is that broader use of productivity-enhancing technologies by households and enterprises can generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. Adoption of better technologies can support both Senegal’s short-term objective of economic recovery and its vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. But this is not automatic. This book leverages a novel survey instrument that measures adoption of technologies at the firm level. Results from this survey show that there is a large average technological gap in Senegal relative to firms in Brazil, in the range of 36 and 30 percent for extensive (whether firms use it at all) and intensive (the most frequently applied) uses of better technologies such as for business administration. Except for a small number of firms, enterprises still mostly use manual, analog technologies to perform general and sector specific business functions. Micro-size informal enterprises lag even further. The benefits from technology adoption are significant. Digital technologies are an enabler of economy-wide productivity and jobs growth by catalyzing adoption of complementary technologies, including many not accessible without digital infrastructure. For households, mobile internet coverage is associated with 14 percent higher total consumption, as well as a 10 percent lower extreme poverty rate—and jobs with higher earnings. Firms with better technologies have higher levels of productivity, generate more jobs, and increase the share of lower-skilled workers on their payroll, on average: an increase in technological sophistication across general business functions that the firm uses most intensively, such as using standard software rather than writing by hand for business administration, is associated with a 14 percent higher jobs growth rate. For these and other inclusive growth benefits to be realized, Senegal should focus on ensuring availability of affordable digital infrastructure and implementing targeted incentives to promote use by firms of better technologies as well as policies to narrow deepening digital divides across enterprises and households.

Africa's Pulse, No. 23, October 2021

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Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464818053
Total Pages : 110 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

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Book Synopsis Africa's Pulse, No. 23, October 2021 by : Albert G. Zeufack

Download or read book Africa's Pulse, No. 23, October 2021 written by Albert G. Zeufack and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-10-06 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa has been severe; however, countries are weathering the storm so far. Real GDP is estimated to contract by 2.0 percent in 2020—close to the lower bound of the forecast range in April 2020, and less than the contraction in advanced economies and other emerging markets and developing economies, excluding China. Available data from the second half of 2020 point to rebound in economic activity that explain why the contraction in the region was in the lower bound of the forecasts. It reflected a slower spread of the virus and lower COVID-19-related mortality in the region, strong agricultural growth, and a faster-than-expected recovery in commodity prices. Economic activity in the region is expected to rise to a range between2.3 and 3.4 percent in 2021, depending on the policy measures adopted by countries and the international community. However, prospects for a slow vaccine rollout, the resurgence of pandemic, and limited scope for additional fiscal support, could hold back the recovery in the region. Policies to support the economy in the near term should be complemented by structural reforms that encourage sustained investment, create jobs and enhance competitiveness. Reducing the countries’ debt burden will release resources for public investment, in areas such as education, health, and infrastructure. Investments in human capital will help lower the risk of long-lasting damage from the pandemic which may become apparent over the longer term, and can enhance competitiveness and productivity. The next twelve months will be a critical period for leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area in order to deepen African countries’ integration into regional and global value chains. Finally, reforms that address digital infrastructure gaps and make the digital economy more inclusive †“ensuring affordability but also building skills for all segments of society, are critical to improve connectivity, boost digital technology adoption, and generate more and better jobs for men and women.