Can African Manufacturing Firms Become Successful Exporters?
The paper was prepared by UNIDO’s research partners at the Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford. The poor performance of many African economies has been associated with low growth of exports in general and of manufacturing exports in particular. This paper examines the evidence for which aspects of policy are necessary for enabling African economies to improve their performance. It is argued that while macro economic policy is important in creating the pre-conditions for growth it may not be sufficient. There is evidence that the efficiency with which firms operate is important in understanding whether firms can be successful exporters. Policies which improve efficiency at the firm-level may greatly enhance the potential for macro reform to impact on overall performance in African economies.
