Investing in Africa

The general objective of this course is to provide insights into various important dimensions of investment in Africa.

The course will seek to provide the students with essential knowledge tools and critical thinking in the nature and modalities of development engagement and private investment in Africa, as well as the underlying opportunities and challenges.

The course will explore selected papers from academic literatures in economics and political economy, as well as grey literatures from international institutions (UN agencies, World Bank, WTO, AfDB…), and independent organizations or private institutions (think tanks, consultancies, businesses, etc.).

Each class session (2,5 hours) will be dedicated to discussing a specific topic.

Tentative topics to be covered are:

• Afro-pessimism vs Afro-optimism: What are the market prospects for investing in Africa ?
• Development aid, PPPs and investment in African infrastructures: China and others.
• Investing in natural resources in Africa: Issues and challenges for governments.
• Investing in and for African agriculture.
• Entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises in Africa.
• Regional trade, global value chains, and impacts of FDI on the productive transformation in Africa.
• New policy standards for attracting FDI in Africa: institutional reforms, EPZs and investment agencies.

Students will be exposed to theoretical, empirical and policy discussions in the course, and whenever relevant, business perspectives and insights on political settlements on the topic will be presented.

In order to encourage proactive engagement in class discussions, reverse class methods will be used.

Each class will start with an oral presentation by a group of students based on various types of assignments: synthesis of the literature, policy diagnostic, simulated debate, statistical note …

Course evaluation will consist of homework/assignments, and in-class evaluations.