John Page on Industrialization in Africa

We invite you to a special event with John Page, Brookings Institution and UNU-WIDER Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow, as he presents a seminar on industrialization in Africa, drawing on research from the UNU-WIDER project Jobs, poverty and structural change in Africa. 

Why is there so little industry in Africa? Does it matter? What can be done about it?

For more than 40 years, industrial development in Africa has stalled. The share of industry in the economy is the same today as it was in the 1970s. In his seminar, John Page will answer three questions: Why is there so little industry in Africa? Does it matter? What can be done about it? Using a broad definition of 'industry', this seminar will bring together many of the key issues: business climate, trade, business capabilities and agglomerations, to set out a new industrialization strategy for Africa.

Event details 

This is the first of a series of lectures from John Page on the role of industry in development. The series will be filmed and will form part of an internationally produced MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) to be released alongside a documentary in 2019.

The one hour lecture will be followed by a Q&A session. We encourage you to come with questions on the topic as these will form a key part of the MOOC content.  

The WIDER Seminar Series

The WIDER Seminar Series showcases recent and ongoing work on key topics in development economics. The weekly sessions held in Helsinki are open to the public. Click here to read more about the WIDER Seminar Series.