TDB 59th session: Item 6 (20 Sept 2012)

Item 6 - Economic development in Africa: Structural transformation and sustainable development in Africa This item will discuss the topic explored in the 2012 edition of the Economic Development in Africa report series, namely "Structural Transformation and Sustainable Development in Africa." The Report analyses one of the development dilemmas facing African economies. On the one hand, despite the relatively high rates of economic growth achieved in Africa over the last decade or so, Africa's economic structure has not remarkably improved. Economic structural transformation remains critical for Africa's long-term growth and broad-based improvement in standards of living. On the other hand, the process of structural transformation will necessarily heighten environmental pressures due to an increasing demand for natural resources and the expanding magnitude of waste and pollution. The Report recommends that African countries pursue a strategy of sustainable structural transformation to resolve this dilemma. Panellists Mr. Xavier Carim, Deputy Director-General for International Trade and Economic Development, Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa Mr. Vinaye Ancharaz, Senior Development Economist, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development Mr. Mustapha Kamal Gueye, Acting Head of the Green Economy Advisory Services Unit, Economics and Trade Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economy in the United Nations Environment Programme Mr. Charles Gore, former Head of the Research and Policy Analysis Branch of the Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes of UNCTAD