Exploring China-Africa Trade Links and Growth Prospects

Will China's recovery from the Global Financial Crisis affect Africa's prospects for economic growth? JICA-RI Research Fellow Jean-Claude Maswana expressed his thoughts on this question at the 85^th Annual Conference of the Western Economic Association International. The event, one of the largest international gatherings of applied economists, was held in Portland, USA in June and featured advanced research in various areas of economics, including development studies.

Maswana presented his findings on the possibility of China's economic growth inducing economic recovery in Africa in the post-crisis era - also the topic of his recently-published working paper. Through macroeconomic analysis, he found that African economies are benefiting from trade with China. However, the rates vary per country depending on the product exported to China and its ultimate use (whether it is a supply-side or a demand-side resource). Maswana's research also suggests that Africa's successful synchronization through trade with China and other nations will "...depend strongly on the Africans' preparedness for the development of efficient and supportive physical infrastructure."

For his next project beginning this year, Maswana intends to analyze how the post-crisis economic structure in Asia is changing, what it means for Africa, and how Africa can adjust its economic structure to reap the benefits of its rising trade with Asia. He hopes to identify the potential growth drivers (products, industries or sectors, and right set of economic policies) and impediments to growth in African economies that countries should deal with in order to build up competitiveness.

On the conference overall, Maswana said that it "... provides a unique opportunity through which some of our knowledge on the best ways to materialize JICA's commitment to African development can be tested, improved, or shared with other stakeholders."

RELATED RESEARCH AREA： Growth and Poverty Reduction

Jean-Claude Maswana, JICA-RI Research Fellow