Sub-Saharan Africa: Forging New Trade Links with Asia

IMF Special Issues, October 16, 2007

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Sub-Saharan Africa: Forging New Trade Links with Asia

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Bibliographic details

• Authors: Sanjeev Gupta, Kevin J Carey, Ulrich Jacoby
• Published: October 16, 2007
• Series: IMF Special Issues
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781589066670.058

Overview and Research Questions

• Examines the impact on trade in sub-Saharan Africa of the recent rapid growth in China and other Asian countries, and the associated commodity price boom.
• Investigates changes in trading patterns in sub-Saharan Africa:
  • Destinations: Has the region expanded the range of countries to which it exports?
  • Composition: Has the region diversified the products it sells from commodities to manufactured goods?
  • Imports: How are import patterns evolving?
• Concluding assessment in the summary: "The time is ripe for sub-Saharan African countries to climb up the value chain of their commodity-based exports and/or achieve an export surge based on labor-intensive manufacturing."

Key Findings and Analytical Focus

• Core analytical themes:
  • Econometric analysis
  • Gravity models
  • Comtrade data (note: "data quality problem" listed among keywords)
• Sectoral and trade topics emphasized:
  • Exports and export composition (including nonfuel export, export share, export surge)
  • Imports and trade balance
  • Manufacturing and markets in sub-Saharan Africa
• Geographic focus:
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Asia and Pacific, including East Asia
  • Global trading relationships

Policy Implications and Recommendations (as presented)

• Promote policies and strategies that enable sub-Saharan African countries to:
  • Climb up the value chain of commodity-based exports.
  • Achieve an export surge based on labor-intensive manufacturing.