The Importance of the Services Sector for Africa, Dr Ottavia Pesce, Dr Carolyne Tumuhimbise, Dr Lily Sommer and Dr William Davis
Dr Ottavia Pesce
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Lebanon
Dr Carolyne Tumuhimbise
International Organization for Migration
Ethiopia
Dr William Davis
Economic Commission for Africa
Ethiopia
Dr Lily Sommer
African Trade Policy Centre of the Economic Commission for Africa
Ethiopia
Abstract:The chapter reviews recent empirical evidence on the importance of the services sector for Africa, with a particular focus on financial and infrastructure services. The chapter begins by reviewing the general literature on the importance of a competitive services sector for development, followed by evidence from developing countries and Africa in particular, including the correlations between growth in services and general growth. Subsequent to this, the chapter reviews literature on the importance of financial and infrastructure services, in particular for development.
The chapter then turns to giving an overview of the role of the services sector in the African economy, surveying trends and quantitative evidence and experiences from individual African countries. It concludes with a look at the importance of services for Africa’s development priorities, and areas for further research.
Citation: Pesce, O., Tumuhimbise, C., Davis, W. and Sommer, L. (2009):The Importance of the Services Sector for Africa. In Adewole, A. and Struthers, J., J. (Eds.): Logistics and Global Value Chains in Africa: The Impact on Trade and Development, Vol. 2, pp. 239-263. WASD: Brighton, United Kingdom.
