Accra—Policymakers, African experts, and international researchers are convening here on May 10-11 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,” is 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.

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“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 wellbeing of a country’s citizens.”

Conference participants will share highlights from case studies in Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. They will also present cross-country analysis, including lessons from economic transformations in Latin America and Asia, and discuss the policy implications, particularly with regard to national development strategies. Read more…