The governments of Cameroon and Ghana wanted to use oil and gas revenues more effectively to promote economic growth and reduce poverty. They also wanted to improve transparency and accountability in the sector. However, Cameroon and Ghana, as well as many other African countries, have had difficulty managing and sustaining the windfall wealth and savings from their natural resources.

The governments of Africa want to improve the investment climate and reduce poverty in their countries through modernization and industrialization. Learning from the Asian experience, many governments are developing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to achieve these goals. Chinese knowledge, experience, and investment have been invaluable in developing these zones. However, most African countries still lack the infrastructure to make such SEZs effective and competitive on international markets.

After learning about the success of East Asian countries in developing their economies and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through Special Economic Zones (SEZ), many African governments wanted to use the same strategy to improve their economic performance. However, most African countries lack the capacity to design and implement SEZs, including lack of policy framework clarity, difficulties in physical planning and land administration, and insufficient regulatory and administrative knowledge. They have also not being very successful in involving the private sector in SEZs.

In order to establish a red meat export initiative to fulfill its potential to be one of the top livestock industries, the Government of Mauritania learned from Zambia’s experience.  Lessons from the study tour resulted in policy changes; some were integrated into a feasibility study. Mauritania is being positioned to attract external funding and investment for this project.

Challenge

The Cancer Care and Control South-South Knowledge Exchange brought together stakeholders from five countries in Africa — Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia — to share experiences, lessons, and good practices.  All five countries have initiated various programs to tackle the growing burden of cancer and have much to learn from each other. The knowledge exchange aimed to raise awareness, increase knowledge of effective strategies, and bolster regional collaboration.

Challenge

Zambia faced challenges managing its natural resource wealth, especially from copper mining, in ways that reduce poverty; diversify the economy; and improve education, health, and livelihoods of Zambian citizens. Chile, another major copper pro­ducer, had a track record in supporting fiscal policies and programs that support sound management of mineral revenue, and health, education, and social protection initiatives for the poor.

Tanzania is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, and droughts, floods, and tropical storms are likely to become more intense and unpredictable as the earth warms. Current climate variability already inflicts significant economic hardship on Tanzania, which is largely dependent on agriculture. A devastating drought in 2005 and 2006 affected millions of people, particularly those who relied on subsistence crops for food and income, and resulted in high economic costs.