REALIZING THE POTENTIAL FOR PROFITABLE INVESTMENT IN AFRICA High-Level Seminar organized by the IMF Institute and the Joint Africa Institute TUNIS,TUNISIA,FEBRUARY28 MARCH1,2006 Improving the Investment Climate in Sub-Saharan Africa Vincent Palmade Lead Economist, FIAS World Bank Group Paper presented at the high-level seminar: Realizing the Potential for Profitable Investment in Africa Organized by the IMF Institute and the Joint Africa Institute Tunis, Tunisia, February 28 March 1, 2006 The views expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) only, and the presence of them, or of links to them, on the IMF website does not imply that the IMF, its Executive Board, or its management endorses or shares the views expressed in the paper.
Improving the Investment Climate in Sub-Saharan Africa IMF Institute Tunis, the 28 th February, 2006 Vincent Palmade Lead Economist, FIAS World Bank Group
A LONG AND LOW PLATEAU ENDED BY A STEEP CLIFF GDP/Capita ($ in 2003) Mauritius 4,000 Gabon Botswana South Africa Namibia Cape Verde Swaziland 500 Average 90 Ethiopia Dem. Rep. Congo 69 122 Nigeria 700 Population size (millions) Source: World Bank; Little data book 2005 1 1
SUB SAHARA AFRICA IS FINALLY TURNING THE CORNER BUT GDP per capita growth 1.7% Gross capital formation as a percentage of GDP 17% 19% 0% 1990-2002 2003 1990 2003 Annual increase in the number of people living in poverty 3.5% 0.4% 1980-2000 2004 Source : Africa Action Plan World Bank 2005 2 2
INFORMALITY IS GETTING WORSE AND Informal output as a percentage of total economic output 1990 2003 East Asia & Pacific 18.5 21 Middle East & North Africa South Asia 21 22 27 28 Europe & Central Asia 33 38 Latin America & Caribbean 29 38 Sub-Saharan Africa 30 39 Developed Countries 10 13 Source : Schneider 3 3
COMPETITIVENESS IS DECLINING Percentage of total exports in trade and services from developing countries 1990 2002 East Asia & Pacific 20 35 Europe & Central Asia 31 23 Collapse of trade Within Eastern Europe (recovering) Latin America & the Caribbean 20 20 Middle East & North Africa 14 10 South Asia 4 5 Sub-Saharan Africa 9 5 Mostly commodities Source : World Bank 4 4
THE POTENTIAL IS THERE Productivity levels at the factory floor 90 98 98 100 50 65 65 65 75 Ethiopia Eritrea Uganda Tanzania Kenya Senegal Morocco India China Source: Investment Climate Surveys of the World Bank 5 5
THE PROBLEM IS WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE THE FACTORY % of firms reporting external factor as major constraint Sub-Saharan Africa Developing World Tax Rates 61 40 Access to Finance 52 33 Tax Administration 46 25 Public Sector Governance (corruption) 45 38 Electricity 43 25 Policy Uncertainty 38 42 Crime 28 25 Labor Skills 25 18 Courts and Legal System 23 22 Note: Weighted average based on the number of firms surveyed in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia. Average for courts and legal system based on only three countries. Source: Investment Climate Surveys (WDR 2005) 6 6
KEY TRENDS IN THE SUB-SAHARAN INVESTMENT CLIMATE Significant progress Slow progress No Progress Political leadership/stability Macroeconomic stability Capital market regulations Infrastructure Privatization Openess to trade Labor skills Tax burden on formal firms Land market regulations Labor market regulations Judiciary systems Administrative red tape And last but not least: Regulations and governance of key industries (e.g. mining) 7 7
NOT ENOUGH PROGRESS TO CLOSE THE GAP WITH COMPETITORS Doing Business rankings - 2005 1-40- Botswana 82- Ghana 123- Sao Tome 126- Zimbabwe 127- Mauritania 94- Nigeria 129- Benin 130- Cameroon 131- Madagascar 132- Senegal 96- Malawi 135- Angola 97- Lesotho 136- Sierra Leone 137- Eritrea 139- Rwanda 23- Mauritius 101- Ethiopia 140- Tanzania 143- Burundi 144- Guinea 28- South Africa 67- Zambia 145- Cote d Ivoire 68- Kenya 146- Mali 148- Congo, Rep 110- Mozambique 149- Togo 33- Namibia 72- Uganda 150- Niger 151- Sudan 152- Chad 153- Central African Republic 154- Burkina Faso 155- Congo, Dem. Rep. 39-78- 117- Source: Doing Business 8 8
IT COULD BE DONE Time to open a business (days) Registering Property (days) Paying taxes (number of payments) Time to export (days) Sub- Saharan Africa (average) 64 118 41 49 Best practice in Sub- Saharan Africa 21 23 7 16 Global best practice 2 1 1 5 Source: Doing Business in 2006 9 9
BUT IT IS NOT BEING DONE Average number of reforms per country in 2004 Sub Saharan Africa Middle East and North Africa Latin America and Carribean 0.6 0.8 0.9 East Asia Pacific 1.0 South Asia 1.4 OECD High Income 1.6 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 2.4 Source: Doing Business database 10 10
FIRST STEP = IDENTIFICATION OF REFORM PRIORITIES Results from Benin Cotton Agro-processing/ light manufacturing Banking Telecom Power Port Retail Housing construction Macro conditions 5 Judiciary system 4 Tax system 3 Government control Capital market Labor market 2 1 Land market Industry Specific regulations Infrastructure Education Administrative red tape Very important Important Secondary 11 11
HOW OTHER COUNTRIES DID IT? Small World class team leading the reform process at the outset Botswana Malaysia Singapore Chile Indonesia Special Economic Zones as reform pilots Regulatory reform units Focused reform efforts along key export industries 12 Mauritius China Jordan Mexico Hungary Korea Slovakia Chile Singapore Taiwan Mauritius Botswana 12
REFORM PROCESS MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST 1. Do you have a dedicated world class team leading the reform process? 2. Have you identified cross-cutting as well as industry specific reform priorities? 3. Has the top level leadership of the country committed publicly to the reforms? 4. Are the reforms being designed leveraging relevant international good practices? 5. Are there clear strategies in place to mobilize supporters and neutralize opponents for each key reform? 6. Have you considered doing reform pilots to tackle the most difficult issues? 7. Have you designated accountable leaders for implementation? 8. Have you provided them with realistic targets and the means by which to achieve them? 9. Are you maximizing and coordinating donor support on the reform priorities? 10.Have you put monitoring systems in place? 13 13