The external peer review meeting for ERA 2017 was held on 15-16 December 2017 at the UNCC.
The meeting was attended by experts from several Think Tanks, research and academic institutions from within and outside Africa including members of Staff from UNECA and other UN organizations. The main aim of the meeting was to review the draft chapters of the report and provide comments and inputs to further improve the content, structure and issues raised in the report.
The 2017 edition of the Economic Report on Africa examines the question of how to accelerate industrialization as a vehicle for structural transformation in Africa by harnessing the opportunities arising from rapid urbanization. It identifies and analyzes specific challenges and opportunities, as well as drivers, enablers and policy levers for strengthening linkages between industrialization and urbanization, explores best practices to identify lessons and necessary conditions for optimizing the urban advantage for Africa's industrialization, and further examines and provides a policy framework to better harness urbanization for Africa's industrialization. In doing so, the Report illustrates that industrialization requires better functioning cities. In turn, cities require better performing industrialization. Therefore, under the right policy framework anchored in national development plan, it is possible to leverage the momentum of urbanization to accelerate industrialization for a more prosperous and equitable future.
The Report uses eleven case countries, as well as select evidence from other countries and cities. The Report will thus inform and enrich policies and strategies to ensure that Africa's urbanization supports industrialization to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.
The report is expected to be launched during The Tenth Joint Annual Meetings of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration and the Economic Commission for Africa's Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to be held as part of Africa Development Week 2017 in Dakar, Senegal, from 23 to 28 March 2017.
