Policymakers, African experts, and international researchers convened in Accra on May 10th and 11th to discuss important opportunities and challenges related to economic development, urbanization, and industrialization on the continent. The conference, “Understanding Economic Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa,” was jointly organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the University of Ghana. Although agricultural growth remains crucial for overall economic expansion and poverty reduction on the continent, countries also need to boost urban industrial growth in order to achieve sustained economic development on a national level.
“Economic growth ultimately stems from rising productivity within different sectors of the economy and directing a country’s limited resources, including its labor force, to increasingly productive activities,” said Margaret McMillan, deputy director of IFPRI’s Development Strategy and Governance Division. “African policymakers have a critical role to play in fostering this transformation and ensuring that economic growth ultimately improves the health and well-being of a country’s citizens.”
Conference participants shared highlights from case studies in Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. They also presented cross-country analysis and discussed the policy implications, particularly with regard to national development strategies.
For more information on the conference, including presentations and papers, please see the press release and visit the conference blog.
News coverage of the conference:
African Press Agency: "Little Rural-Urban Transformation, Low Migration in Malawi-IFPRI"
Daily Times (Malawi): "Malawi Case Study at Accra Conference"
Business in Ghana: International confab to discuss African economies
Science Uganda: Conference to highlight role of industrialization in Africa’s economic transformation
New Business Ethiopia: Experts to Discuss about African Economies Transformation
Afrique Avenir: Experts meet in Accra to tackle sustained growth for African economies