WATCH: ‘African voices on research, policy, and international development in sub-Saharan Africa’ (Francesco Obino, Christina Golubski, Brookings)

Too often there is a disconnect between the advice of research of scholars on the ground and the international actors and African policymakers themselves, despite their shared goals of positive impacts on social and economic development. The opportunities to leverage the interface and implicit synergies between these three groups of actors, each bringing different assets to development efforts, are multiple. Too often, however, their mandate and work overlap without being connected or coordinated, ultimately to the detriment of development outcomes.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2016/10/18/watch-african-voices-on-research-policy-and-international-development-in-sub-saharan-africa/

How can Africa entice more long-term investors in its much-needed infrastructure projects? (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

Africa’s infrastructure deficit is well known: It needs $93 billion per year to fill its gap and, due to limited domestic sources, the continent must rely heavily on foreign investments. However, many investors view contributing to African infrastructure projects as risky, meaning that long-term, risk-averse investors such as sovereign wealth funds—which have accumulated almost $6 trillion in assets—to shy away from these projects.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2016/09/28/how-can-africa-entice-more-long-term-investors-in-its-much-needed-infrastructure-projects/

The US-Africa Business Forum: Increasing finance and capital investment (Christina Golubski, Amadou Sy, Brookings)

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2016/09/19/the-us-africa-business-forum-increasing-finance-and-capital-investment/

African Lions: A ‘new elite’ in the South African labor market? (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/06/29-new-elite-south-african-labor-market-golubski

African Lions: Ghana’s job creation successes and obstacles (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/06/07-ghana-job-creation-successes-obstacles-golubski

Mapping the way to successful natural resource management in East Africa (Brookings)

Despite the plunge in commodities prices—especially for oil and gas—over the past year, having reserves of natural resources is still an advantage for many developing countries. Indeed, recent discoveries of oil and gas in East Africa are widely considered to be positive developments, since these stores—if managed well—could be a boon to these countries’ economic growth. For example, Kenya anticipates it will earn $10 billion in government revenue due to oil from 2010-2040. Uganda expects government revenues of $3.2 billion per year for that same time period. Similarly, in Tanzania natural resources have the potential to create $2.5 billion in yearly government revenues. In Mozambique resource revenues could reach $9 billion by 2032

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/06/01-natural-resource-management-east-africa-golubski

WATCH: ‘Made in Africa’: Experts debate African industrialization and structural transformation (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

Since 1995, Africa’s explosive economic growth has taken place without the changes in economic structure that normally occur as incomes per person rise. In particular, Africa’s experience with industrialization has been disappointing, especially as, historically, industry has been a driving force behind structural change

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/05/23-made-in-africa-golubski

African Lions: Nigeria’s jobless growth (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

Nigeria, sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest economy and most populous country, has recorded high growth in recent years. Indeed, real GDP growth rate was 6.31 in 2014 (compared to the regional average of 4.35). Life expectancy has also increased (by 6.9 years since 1980) and so has mean years of schooling (by 0.2 years since 1980). Despite these achievements, like many other African countries, poverty and unemployment rates remain high. In fact, its unemployment rate increased from 23.9 percent in 2011 to 25.1 percent in 2014. So, where are the expected gains in poverty and unemployment from Nigeria’s growth?

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/05/05-nigeria-jobless-growth-golubski

Africa in the news: Buhari to sign 2016 budget, malaria incidence in Africa down, and Machar returns to South Sudan (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/04/29-buhari-2016-budget-malaria-machar-south-sudan-golubski

African Lions: Unpacking labor trends and growth in Mozambique (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

Mozambique, over the last two decades, has experienced explosive growth, with an average GDP growth rate of almost 8 percent between 1997-2015. Not only that, but, for the most part, Mozambique has a track record of solid macroeconomic policies, like controlling inflation, reducing current account deficit, and lowering the country’s dependence on aid. Like many other sub-Saharan African countries, though, the rapid growth rate has not transformed into substantially decreasing poverty rates. Indeed, while Mozambique’s poverty rates fell dramatically from 1997-2003, many experts attribute that trend to post-war recovery from the civil war that ended in 1992, no clear progress seems to have been made from 2003-09.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/04/25-unpacking-labor-trends-growth-mozambique-golubski

Growth forecasts for Africa largely cut, Djibouti, Chad, Comoros, and Sudan vote, and UNICEF highlights Boko Haram atrocities (Christina Golubski, Brookings)

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2016/04/15-growth-forecasts-africa-unicef-boko-haram-golubski