Back

Africafé: Financial Constraints in the Pursuit of Economic Development in Africa

September 5, 2024
Related topics: 
Economy
Africa

Africa's economic growth is significantly hampered by financial constraints, which pose significant challenges. These constraints severely limit investments in critical areas such as infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Addressing these issues is crucial for achieving sustainable development and enhancing living standards across the continent.

In this episode, we host Miss Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, the President & CEO of African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET) to explore innovative transformation models adaptable within Africa to foster economic growth. We identify primary sources of financial constraints, including limited access to financing and high borrowing costs, hindering economic development in African countries. We also analyze the pivotal role of domestic financial institutions and markets in either alleviating or exacerbating these constraints, and discuss strategies to enhance access to finance, support entrepreneurship, and promote sustainable development.

Speakers
Ahmed Ouhnini
Economist, Policy Center for the New South
Ahmed Ouhnini is an Economist at the Policy Center for the New South. His research area covers agricultural economics, human and social development. Previously, he has worked as a researcher at the Paris School of Economics (PSE) and has also a record of working in consulting services in Morocco. Ahmed holds an engineering Diploma in Agriculture and Rural Development from the National School of Agriculture of Meknes and a Master’s Degree in Law, Economics and Management from the Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne Institute of Development. ...
Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi
President & CEO of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET)
...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Prospects for Deeper Economic Integration under AfCFTA
    August 22, 2025
    This episode explores the opportunities and challenges of achieving deeper economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). We discuss the potential for boosting intra-African trade, industrialization, and investment flows. The conversation highlights the nee...
  • Download PDF
    Chinese Energy Security: Africa’s Opportunity for a New Development Boost
    Authors
    Marcus Vinicius de Freitas
    August 18, 2025
    China's ascent to the position of the world's most prominent energy consumer has altered global energy markets and fundamentally reshaped the geopolitics of energy security. As China navigates the complexities of sustaining its economic momentum, ensuring access to reliable, affordable, and diversified energy sources has become an existential imperative, intricately woven into its foreign policy strategy. In parallel, Africa's immense wealth of both conventional and renewable resour ...
  • Les radios rurales face aux défis du développement local et du digital
    By Oumaïma EL Azami El Hassani, Ibrahima Sory Cissé, Adri Dibaba Makpira Gnassengbe
    August 08, 2025
    Dans cet épisode, Ibrahima Sory Cissé  et Adri Dibaba Makpira Gnassengbe  partagent leur expérience à la tête des radios rurales en Afrique de l’Ouest. Ils évoquent le rôle cruc ...
  • Youth ‘not in education, employment, or training’ (NEET) in North Africa: do household structure, subjective factors, and political dimensions affect NEET outcomes differently by gender?
    Authors
    Aomar Ibourk
    Zakaria Elouaourti
    August 7, 2025
    This paper was originally published on tandfonline.comYouth’s life paths have become increasingly challenging, especially for those classified as ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET), who comprise 31.2% of North Africa’s youth population. This paper contributes to the growing discourse on the NEET phenomenon by exploring its structural and psychosocial dimensions in North Africa, with a specific focus on gender. Using a rich micro-level dataset of 7,815 individuals age ...
  • The effect of hosting FIFA world cup on unemployment: an empirical estimation on a panel of 10 hosting countries
    Authors
    Jihad Ait Soussane
    Aomar Ibourk
    August 7, 2025
    This paper was originally published on tandfonline.comThis study investigates the long-term impact of hosting the FIFA World Cup on unemployment using panel data of 10 countries from 1983 to 2022. The empirical analysis used two estimation techniques namely the Robust Weighted Least Squares (RWLS) and Estimated Generalized Least Squares (EGLS) with fixed and random effects. Our findings reveal that hosting the FIFA World Cup can reduce long-term unemployment by 2.86% to 3.60% over f ...
  • Securing Africa’s Future: Ring-Fencing Development Financing in an Era of Security-Focused Economic Policy
    Authors
    Hinh T. Dinh
    Laura Rubidge
    July 25, 2025
    This paper was originally published on The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) In the face of Africa’s development challenges and the mismatch between long-term needs and short-term pressures, ring-fencing development expenditures offers a viable solution to secure sustainable financing for growth. ...
  • Annual Report on the African Economy 2025
    Authors
    Edited by
    Larabi Jaïdi
    July 14, 2025
    Available soon on livremoi. The 2025 edition of the African Economic Report continues in the spirit of previous versions. It presents a broad overview of the continent’s economic evolution and offers insights into Africa’s relationship with the rest of the world. In other words, it explores how Africa navigates the effects of global fragmentation within its regional spaces while pursuing its ambition of continental integration. ...
  • Fragmented or United? Africa’s Sub-Regions in a New Era
    July 11, 2025
    In this episode, we discuss whether Africa’s sub-regions foster unity or deepen divides, examine how they handle political crises, and consider the impact of global powers on regional dynamics. We explore what’s needed for stronger cooperation and how Africa can preserve its diversity w...
  • Download PDF
    La crise bancaire qui couve en zone UEMOA : l’argent coûte cher et se raréfie
    Authors
    Seydina Alioune NDIAYE
    July 8, 2025
    La stabilité apparente des taux directeurs de la BCEAO (Banque centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) masque une réalité bien plus préoccupante : un resserrement monétaire non déclaré dans la zone UEMOA (Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine) et une rareté accrue de la liquidité qui frappe tout le système. Nous proposons une analyse en profondeur des mécanismes de cette crise bancaire latente, ses manifestations concrètes sur le tissu économique et ses implications pour ...