“Promoting the Development of Productive Capacities in Africa ”

ECA Press Release No. 35/2008

Addis Ababa, 24 November 2008 –(ECA)- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is organizing an “ Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Macroeconomic Policy, Productive Capacity and Growth in Africa” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 24-25 November 2008.

The main aim of this meeting, which will be attended by experts from Africa and the rest of the world, is to provide a platform for the discussion of various dimensions of productive capacity development in Africa . It will also facilitate an exchange of views on policies to promote productive capacities on the continent within the context of national development plans and strategies.

Strengthening productive capacities in African countries will contribute to enhancing human capital and wealth creation, which, in turn, will reduce poverty and increase employment opportunities.  It will also enable them to utilize the trading opportunities arising from multilateral and regional trade liberalization.

The experience of many developing countries outside Africa has shown that the success of efforts to improve productive capacities to ensure sustained growth is critically dependent on overcoming structural impediments and supply-side constraints.

Some of the factors identified as being critical to stimulating productive capacities in Africa include stable macroeconomic conditions, a conductive legal and regulatory environment, and adequate physical and social infrastructure.

All these factors are critical for reducing transactions costs, increasing the productivity of factors of production, reducing bottlenecks in the production process and opening up new investment opportunities, especially for small and medium scale enterprises in Africa .

However, existing research on productive capacity development has focused mainly on limited aspects of the complex factors affecting the continent's productive capacity.

In that context, the academics, researchers, policymakers and development practitioners participating in the 24-25 November “ Ad-hoc Expert Group Meeting on Macroeconomic Policy, Productive Capacity and Growth in Africa” will be discussing a cross section of areas, which have been identified as critical to the design and implementation of effective strategies and policies to promote productive capacities in Africa. These include:

1. Macroeconomic policies, including fiscal, exchange rate and financial policies specifically targeted to promote productive capacity in African countries.

2. Sectoral policies, including industrial, trade and agricultural policies.

3. Infrastructure and human capital development strategies.

4. Institutions, including the business environment and private sector development policies affecting productive capacity development.

5. Regional market integration and aid policies aimed at enhancing productive capacity and competitiveness of specific sectors or commodities.

Issued by the ECA Information and Communication Service
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia

Tel: 251 11 5445098
Fax: +251-11-551 03 65
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org
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