{"title":"Multiple Memberships in Regional Trade Agreements and Intraregional Trade Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"Amsalu Dachito Chigeto, Jayamohan M. K.","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Over recent decades, the impact of overlapping regional trade agreements (RTAs) on trade has sparked considerable debate. This study examines the effects of multiple RTA memberships on trade dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Analyzing panel data from 43 SSA countries over 22 years (2000–2021) using the Poisson-Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimation technique, we find that countries participating in multiple RTAs engage in enhanced bilateral trade within the SSA region. Furthermore, gaining a hub position is positively associated with increased bilateral trade engagement. Our analysis also confirms that network centrality metrics, derived from potential trade connections, are positively related to trade volume. These findings imply that accession to an additional RTA not only creates more opportunities for integration but may also help mitigate politically motivated trade barriers. Moreover, the market access benefits from participating in multiple RTAs appear to outweigh the complexities associated with establishing rules of origin and lengthy trade negotiations. To significantly boost intra-SSA trade and foster deeper regional integration, policymakers in SSA should prioritize aggressively negotiating and implementing RTAs. Moreover, intraregional trade strategies should prioritize systematically securing hub positions within the regional trade network through RTA membership to maximize trade volumes and drive comprehensive regional integration.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143852651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modelling Economic Policy Uncertainty—Examining the Effects of Oil Prices, Global and Domestic Economic Policy Uncertainty on Firm Stability in Nigeria","authors":"Olajide O. Oyadeyi","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The article explored the effects of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on firm stability in Nigeria. The article makes three contributions to the literature. First, the article examined the impact of global EPU on firm stability. Second, it examined the effects of domestic EPU on firm stability, given the vulnerable nature of the Nigerian economy to both global and domestic shocks. Finally, the study examined the effects of oil prices on the EPU-firm stability nexus, given the Nigerian economy's vulnerability to oil price fluctuations. Using annual data from 2004 to 2023 and employing the Driscoll and Kraay fixed effects method, the study found that global EPU had no significant effect on firm stability. Furthermore, the findings revealed that domestic EPU hurt firm stability. Additionally, when oil prices induce domestic energy price volatility, they negatively impact firm stability. The sensitivity analysis, conducted using the quantile regression method, supported the main findings. Thus, given the importance of the results, the study recommends ways for firms to become resilient to domestic economic uncertainty by adopting robust risk management techniques and implementing policies that ensure a resilient business environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8268.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143846210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"RETRACTION: Idiosyncratic Covariates of Unemployment Duration in Ghana: The Joint Effect of Migration and Education","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/afdr.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/afdr.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>RETRACTION</b>: C. Oteng, I. N. Nyame, “Idiosyncratic Covariates of Unemployment Duration in Ghana: The Joint Effect of Migration and Education,” <i>African Development Review</i> 36, no. 3 (2024): 444-456, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12772.</p><p>The above article, published online on 20 September 2024 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors; the journal Editor-in-Chief, Abdoulaye Coulibaly; African Development Bank; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to major overlap with a previously published thesis from a different author. [1]</p><p>[1] E. A. Darko, “Unemployment Duration, Migration Intention, and Social Participation: Evidence from Selected Regions in Ghana,” PhD diss., <i>University of Cape Coast</i>, 2022, https://ir.ucc.edu.gh/xmlui/handle/123456789/10769.</p>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/afdr.70011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143749299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contraintes Réglementaires Et Transmission De La Politique Monétaire Aux Prêts Bancaires Dans L'uemoa","authors":"Karim Nabaloum","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ces dernières années, les contraintes réglementaires sont de plus en plus considérées comme des facteurs susceptibles d'affecter la transmission de la politique monétaire. Cette étude examine l'effet des contraintes réglementaires sur la transmission de la politique monétaire aux prêts bancaires dans sept pays de l'Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) sur la période 1990 à 2021. L'étude utilise une approche paramétrique (Pooled Mean Group) avec des données provenant de la BCEAO, du World Development Indicator et du Global Financial Development. Les résultats suggèrent que la transmission de la politique monétaire sur les prêts accordés par les banques soumises à une réglementation plus stricte en matière de fonds propres est réduite. En revanche, les banques soumises aux ratios de liquidité semblent transmettre plus amplement la politique monétaire. Ces résultats traduisent la nécessité de rendre les contraintes réglementaires plus flexibles, en tenant compte de la capacité des banques à reconstituer leurs fonds propres.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143717122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Access to Finance in the Digital Age: Does Digital Financial Inclusion Promote Financial Development in Emerging Countries?","authors":"Armand Fréjuis Akpa, Mingnimon Ghislain Gnidehou","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study's purpose is to assess the influence of digital financial inclusion (DFI) on financial development in sub-Saharan African (SSA). Using a sample of 26 SSA nations over the period from 2014 to 2021 and the general method of moments in system (SGMM) on panel data, the estimation results show that both digital access and digital use promote financial development. Similarly, DFI improves financial development, allowing us to confirm that DFI is a key factor that promotes financial development. The study suggests that cybersecurity needs to be strengthened to secure online platforms and that incentive policies and regulatory measures favorable for the development of human capital capable of operating in this sector need to be put in place.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Appreciation to Article Reviewers","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/afdr.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/afdr.70006","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143475576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of Fiscal Policy on Financial Bank Intermediation Quality in WAEMU Countries","authors":"Ouabou Nabié, Mahamadou Diarra","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70002","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The study assesses the effects of fiscal policy on the financial bank quality intermediation in the WAEMU. To do so, the effects of the government securities ratio and the tax pressure rate on the NPL ratio are examined separately. The study uses panel data from WAEMU countries over the period 1990–2021 and ARDL modelling by the PMG estimator for basics estimates and the GM-FMOLS estimator for robustness. The public securities ratio improves the financial bank quality intermediation up to the maximum threshold of 47.5% of GDP. The tax pressure rate contributes to increasing the NPL ratio up to the maximum threshold of 17.06%. These results imply that a reform of banking regulation should encourage banks to hold a significant proportion of public securities, without crowding out the private sector. They also call on governments to implement measures to stimulate economic activity to absorb fiscal pressure. The study contributes to the literature and empirical effects of fiscal policy on the financial bank quality intermediation in the WAEMU while serving as a decision-making tool for governments and banking authorities in the management of NPLs in their lending activities and development.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143423827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gbêtondji Melaine Armel Nonvide, Charles Yédéhou Faton, Marlyse Sandrine S. Togodo Azon
{"title":"Inclusion Financière Digitale et Croissance Economique dans L'espace UEMOA: Rôle de la Qualité des Institutions","authors":"Gbêtondji Melaine Armel Nonvide, Charles Yédéhou Faton, Marlyse Sandrine S. Togodo Azon","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Learning to Export’ and ‘Learning By Exporting’: Revisiting the Relationship Between Innovation and Exports in African Firms","authors":"Elvis Korku Avenyo, Fiona Tregenna","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70001","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article examines the relationship between innovation and export performance for African firms. We estimate a censored Tobit IV simultaneous model with selection, using a cross-sectional data set from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys for 28 African economies. The results show a two-way positive relationship between innovation and export performance in African firms: innovation is important for both the ability to export (export propensity) and for export intensity, while exporting also increases the likelihood of innovating. These effects are driven mainly by direct exports and apply to both product and process innovations. The positive two-way relationship is strengthened through two key mechanisms: a higher share of foreign ownership in firms, and firms having an internationally recognised quality certification. We argue that these results point to a two-way relationship in which innovation enables firms to ‘learn to export’, while firms also ‘learn by exporting’. We discuss the implications of these findings for African firms and policymakers.</p>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8268.70001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Foreign Inflows, Governance and Health Outcomes in Nigeria","authors":"Aderoju Oyefusi, Obianuju O. Nnadozie","doi":"10.1111/1467-8268.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Foreign financial inflows to Nigeria have risen in the last two decades. Currently, the country receives over one-third of remittance flows to sub-Saharan Africa and is one of Africa's top recipients of foreign aid with the health sector being a major target. Despite the substantial foreign inflows, health outcomes in Nigeria have not remarkably improved. This raises important questions about the effectiveness of foreign inflows in achieving better health outcomes in Nigeria. This article examines the effects of foreign inflows on health outcomes utilising different components of foreign inflows—aid and remittance. It also investigates the role of governance in the foreign inflows-health outcomes nexus using time series data from Nigeria covering the period 1984–2021. Results from the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model suggest that health aid has a limited impact on health outcomes, while remittance has been ineffective in driving improvements in health outcomes. Other factors, such as growth in real income per person, reduction in the emission of pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and improvements in governance, appear to be critical for improving health outcomes in the country.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47363,"journal":{"name":"African Development Review-Revue Africaine De Developpement","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}