The book, a joint work of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union (AU), presents a comprehensive analysis of the oil and gas resources in Africa. It uniquely highlights, through country examples, and with an African focus but a global perspective, the specific challenges and...

This study empirically estimates the effect of Africa’s intra-regional trade on the burgeoning youth unemployment in the Continent. We investigate both the aggregate and gender-specific impacts. Our empirical estimates, using available cross-sectional time series data over the period, 1980 and...

Three countries in Southern Africa have the highest adult HIV prevalence in the world: Swaziland (25.9%), Botswana (24.8%), and Lesotho (23.6%). Fiscal policy is crucial for addressing this HIV/AIDS crisis. Utilizing a calibrated model, this paper investigates the impact of fiscal policy on...

Apart from presenting the poverty profile, this paper examines the correlates of poverty with multivariate models that predict the probability of being poor using data from the Nigerian National Consumer Survey (NCS) of 2003/2004. The probability of a household being poor was examined for the...

In this paper, we have presented the patterns of inequality, growth and income inequality in the MENA region. Using a cross-sectional time series data of MENA countries for the period 1985-2009, we have also investigated the effect of income inequality on key societal development, namely...

In spite of the high growth that Africa has experienced in recent years, poverty, inequality and unemployment remain high, indicating lack of inclusion in the development process and its outcomes. But poverty, for example, can be reduced at a faster rate when inclusive growth strategies are...

Understanding the effect of oil wealth on democracy is important. National democratic institutions provide a check on governmental power and thereby limit the potential of public officials to amass personal wealth and to carry out unpopular policies. Democracy promotion has thus been at the top...