Giovedì, Febbraio 13, 2025
Italian (Italy)English (United Kingdom)

Desiderio Consultants Ltd. è una think tank ed una rete di consulenti internazionali per lo sviluppo indipendenti costituita per promuovere ed influenzare politiche doganali e commerciali nei Paesi Africani, al fine di raggiungere riforme di facilitazione del commercio che favoriscano la crescita degli scambi commerciali a livello internazionale e regionale
Creativity, Commitment to Excellence, Results

Notizie

New UNCTAD report paints a dim scenario for Africa’s development in the next years

There are no translations available.

The Trade and Development Report 2024 is out. The flagship publication of UNCTAD paints a gloomy picture of global development dynamics for the next years to come. The three major engines of the global economy (China, the United States of America and the European Union) are on a decelerating or weakened path and in the southern hemisphere economic growth is slowing down, with exposure to global shocks and the risk of trade fragmentation that are on the rise. The only region that displays a more accelerated growth path is South Asia. The report concludes by forecasting a global growth rate for 2024 and 2025 of less than 3%. What is more worrisome, the report notes, is that this generalized low growth scenario is increasingly intertwining with high interest rates, especially in developing countries. This raises an alarm bell on the sustainability of global financial system, which needs to be urgently realigned to the needs of such nations, especially the most vulnerable ones. More affordable, reliable and longer-term financing options are necessary to unlock investment able to sustain the development agenda of these countries. An appeal is launched to multilateral and regional banks to increase concessional finance through the utilization of innovative financial instruments.

Leggi tutto...

Can AI help to optimize infrastructure planning in Africa?

There are no translations available.

The Africa’s public infrastructure deficit is widely recognized by economic literature and policy discourse. The 2018 African Economic Outlook published by the African Development Bank estimated the Africa’s road infrastructure needs in $130-170 billion per year, with a financing gap in the range of $68-108 billion. In August this year, the Bank revised this estimation, noting that such needs have now reached levels between $181 and $221 billion per year. But Large gaps also remain in other areas, like electricity, internet, and basic sanitation services. If on one side these deficits reveal a development path in Africa that is still long to be traveled, on the other hand also suggest that public infrastructure investments in Africa are an opportunity for high returns for economic activity and wealth generation. But at one condition: that the development of infrastructure projects is correctly planned so to become attractive for investors. Nobody invests in transport infrastructure, electricity or water supply projects whose operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall competitiveness have not been carefully evaluated. Infrastructure needs to be located where its economic effects are mostly felt, that’s the point.

Leggi tutto...

Maritime transport disruptions offer opportunities to Africa to develop port connectivity

There are no translations available.

The Greek philosopher Socrates once stated, “there is no favorable wind for the sailor who doesn’t know where to go.” Yet, this notion seems not to hold true for Africa, which is experiencing significant growth in port connectivity, largely driven by a series of unforeseen geopolitical events. The 2024 edition of the Review of Maritime Transport, an annual flagship report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), sheds light on this development.

Leggi tutto...

Negative stereotypes and narratives on Africa cost to the continent up to $4.2 billion a year, report finds

There are no translations available.

In the world of journalism, a well-known expression says “when a dog bites a man, that is not news, but if a man bites a dog, that is news”. The same situation seems to happen each time global media talks about Africa. According to a report published by Africa No Filter (an advocacy organization that rails against harmful narratives that distort the reality in Africa), most of time the continent is portrayed in the media through a distorted lens, that focuses on structural weaknesses of its economies and shifts attention from positive stories to negative events, such as famine, war, violence and election fraud. On the one hand, this is perfectly understandable. People love hearing disaster stories, as those are the ones that sell best. But when this biased narrative ends up inflating perceptions of risks by investors, calling into question the ability of African countries to take control of their own development trajectory, this becomes a serious problem for a continent that is already in the grip of debt and that needs significant flows of investment to fund its growth.

Leggi tutto...

Air transport in Africa: often not an option, but the only choice

There are no translations available.

A report published by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Institute a few months ago on the assessment of the early experiences of trading under the AfCFTA, pointed out how critical is to reduce transport costs for the shipment of products to other African markets, especially agricultural goods, for trade under the AfCFTA to take off. In analysing the experiences of some African countries within the framework of the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative, the report mentioned the case of Rwanda, where the government provided support to local exporters by facilitating the aggregation of shipment so to access to lower air freight rates for the export of some agricultural products (tea and coffee) to Ghana. The report concluded by highlighting how important is to reduce freight and logistics costs for African exporters – especially the smaller ones – so that they can benefit from greater economies of scale. But why air transport? Isn't it the most expensive form of transport?

Leggi tutto...

Altri articoli...

Pagina 5 di 162

5

View Danilo Desiderio's profile on LinkedIn

 

Copyright © 2011

Desiderio Consultants Ltd., 46, Rhapta Road, Westlands, Nairobi (KENYA)