ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND TRADE: HIGHLIGHTS IN 2013


1) Together with the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), we entered into a dialogue with stakeholders in South and Southern Africa to document examples of effective cross-border cooperation and functional integration. The resulting in-depth study and repository of short cases enhanced understanding of some of the drivers and incentives for regional integration. This work drew the interest of a number of key stakeholders, among them, Southern African policymakers, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and DFID.

2) The Centre provided information on EPAs to African and European negotiators, indirectly helping them frame solutions and strategies towards the satisfactory conclusion of EPAs.

3) We arranged a series of donor dialogues on private sector development, presenting stakeholders opportunities to meet in an informal setting for open, concrete and frank discussions on issues related to their day-to-day work and to overarching strategies and grander visions.

4) We made contributions on the role of effective natural resources management to prominent publications, including the 2013 African Economic Outlook. We published widely read studies on linking extractive sectors to productive value chains and on the dynamics of reforms in resources-rich countries.

5) We carried out a major research project on regional ‘Aid for Trade’ effectiveness and corridors, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This highly visible work was published by the Commonwealth Secretariat and advertised on platforms such as the Business Fights Poverty blog. 

6) We dedicated several issues of ECDPM’s monthly GREAT insights magazine to economic transformation. These addressed the political economy of regional integration; trade and development; Aid for Trade; the extractive sector; financing infrastructure; and debt relief.