2007年-世界发展银行全球_The_Africa_Competitiveness_Report_2007_253页_148mb

The Africa Competitiveness Report 2007 Summary

Core Content

The Africa Competitiveness Report 2007 is a collaborative effort between the World Economic Forum (WEF), the World Bank, and the African Development Bank (AfDB). It aims to evaluate the business environment in Africa and identify policy challenges that can support sustainable growth and prosperity. The report emphasizes the importance of competitiveness as a driver for economic development and outlines key areas that require reform and investment.

Main Viewpoints

1. Economic Resurgence and Growth Potential

• Africa has experienced an economic resurgence, with GDP growth averaging 4.9% annually between 2001 and 2006, and 5.5% in 2006.
• The report forecasts 6.2% growth in 2007, the highest in decades.
• However, this growth is largely driven by external factors such as high commodity prices, debt relief, and a favorable international environment.
• Sustainable growth requires domestic foundations and long-term policy reforms.

2. Importance of a Sound Business Environment

• A favorable business environment is essential for productivity and competitiveness.
• Countries with natural resources or coastal access may have some advantages, but these do not necessarily translate into better competitiveness.
• Entrepreneurship, especially by women, is a key driver of growth, but barriers to equal access remain significant.

3. Access to Finance

• Access to finance is a major constraint for businesses in Africa, particularly for small and local firms.
• Finance is critical for employment growth and productivity.
• The report highlights the need for regulatory improvements and better financial services to support competitiveness.

4. Infrastructure as a Critical Constraint

• Infrastructure deficits are a major bottleneck for productivity and competitiveness.
• Indirect infrastructure costs can account for up to 30% of a country's total budget.
• Energy and transportation are the most significant infrastructure challenges, with power outages and delays affecting firm performance.
• ICT infrastructure also plays a crucial role in enabling efficient communication and economic integration.

5. Institutional Reforms and Governance

• Corruption and weak institutions are serious obstacles to competitiveness.
• These issues manifest in bribes, regulatory inconsistency, and political favoritism.
• Institutional capacity and transparency are necessary to improve the investment climate and support private sector development.

Key Information

Collaboration and Methodology

• The report is based on combined data sources: aggregate perception data and firm-level data.
• It uses:
  • Executive Opinion Survey (WEF): Captures perceptions of business leaders across 128 countries, with a focus on 29 African countries.
  • Enterprise Surveys (World Bank): Collects data from hundreds of entrepreneurs in each country, analyzing the impact of the investment climate on firm performance.
  • Doing Business indicators (World Bank): Measures regulatory compliance costs across 10 areas of regulation.
  • Private Sector Country Profiles and Country Governance Profiles (AfDB): Provide in-depth assessments of the private sector and governance challenges.

Themes for Sustaining Development

• The report identifies five key themes that are critical for sustaining development in Africa:
  1. Good policies to create a sound business environment.
  2. Access to finance as a major constraint.
  3. Infrastructure development as a critical enabler.
  4. Business-friendly institutions and governance.
  5. Leveraging technology to enhance competitiveness.

Regional and Country Focus

• The report includes country profiles for 34 African countries, providing a detailed assessment of competitiveness and investment climate.
• It highlights the importance of gender equality in entrepreneurship and the potential of women-led businesses to boost productivity.

Conclusion

The Africa Competitiveness Report 2007 underscores the need for policy reform, institutional strengthening, and investment in infrastructure and technology to improve competitiveness. It serves as a tool for decision-makers to understand the current business climate and guide private-public dialogue towards sustainable development. The report also highlights the potential of African countries to achieve high growth rates if the right policies are implemented and the role of the private sector in driving economic progress.

Key Contributors

• World Economic Forum: Jennifer Blanke, Fiona Paua, Haiko Alfeld
• World Bank: John Page, Demba Ba, Giuseppe Iarossi, Reyes Aterido, Mary Hallward-Driemeier
• African Development Bank: Donald Kaberuka, Louis Kasekende, Temitope Oshikoya, Peter Ondiege

Partnerships

The report is supported by various institutions across Africa, including:

• CREAD (Algeria)
• SOF (Angola)
• MIMAP (Benin)
• BIDPA (Botswana)
• SERF (Burkina Faso)
• CURDES (Burundi)
• Comité de Compétitivité (Cameroon)
• GRAMP-TC (Chad)
• Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (Egypt)
• Ethiopian Economic Association (Ethiopia)
• GESDRI (Gambia)
• Institute for Development Studies (Kenya)
• Sechaba Consultants (Lesotho)
• Joint Economic Council of Mauritius (Mauritius)
• Université Hassan II (Morocco)
• EconPolicy Research Group (Mozambique)
• NEPRU (Namibia)
• Nigerian Economic Summit Group (Nigeria)
• Business Unity South Africa (South Africa)
• Economic and Social Research Foundation (Tanzania)
• Institut Arabe des Chefs d'Entreprises (Tunisia)
• Makerere Institute of Social Research (Uganda)
• INESOR (Zambia)
• University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

Methodology Overview

• The Executive Opinion Survey (WEF) is used to gather perceptions on economic dimensions.
• The Enterprise Survey (World Bank) collects firm-level data on business performance and investment climate.
• The Doing Business indicators (World Bank) assess regulatory compliance costs.
• The AfDB's Country Profiles provide detailed insights into the private sector and governance.