Amharic, Arabic, Hausa, Kiswahili, Pidgin English, Yoruba and Zulu editions to promote inclusiveness, provide tailored policy recommendations for use at the local level
The African Development Bank has published highlights of its flagship publication African Economic Outlook (AEO), in local languages, thus ensuring their reach to new stakeholders at the local and community levels. These languages are among the most widely spoken on the continent.
Following the successful launch of the highlights report in Arabic, Hausa and Kiswahili for the 2018 edition, the Bank announces the release of the 2019 African Economic Outlook highlights in four additional languages: Amharic, Pidgin English, Yoruba and Zulu.
The main objective of the AEO highlights in local African languages is to ensure accessibility to the information it contains, promoting inclusiveness, widespread coverage and relevance of the publication within stakeholder communities at the district and local levels.
The Highlights report follows the launching of the main 2019 AEO report in January.
The 2019 AEO report focuses on regional integration - one of the Bank's High 5 priority areas - and explores how it can spur economic prosperity in Africa. To achieve this objective, the report highlights certain actions that need to be taken. These include: reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers, increasing labor mobility, integrating financial markets; and enhancing cooperation for regional public goods.
"The special theme this year is regional integration for Africa's economic prosperity, not just for trade and economic cooperation, but for the delivery of regional public goods. Having these highlights in the different languages ties in with that, by promoting greater inclusiveness," Celestin Monga, the Bank's Chief Economist said.
Following the debut of regional economic outlook reports for the 5 African regions last year, regional AEOs have been completed for 2019. Each report is a stand-alone document, zooming in on each region's macroeconomic and structural issues as well as its peculiar nature of regional integration.
In Central Africa, the focus is on regional integration and fragility. In East and North Africa, the political economy of regional integration is considered. Southern Africa looks at regional integration and private sector development, while in West Africa, regional integration and structural transformation is the focus.
The Bank is confident that the rigor and depth of analysis contained in the AEO and regional reports is of great value to all stakeholders interested in African development issues. The up-to-date data and reference materials they contain make them invaluable to a diverse and wide audience comprising academics, researchers, development partners, investors, civil society organizations and the media.
Feedback from across Africa indicates that the 2018 translations were very well received, as evidenced by the number distributed and positive feedback from Bank Executive Directors, staff and external stakeholders.
