Institute of Development Studies

The Level of Sophistication and Technological Content of African Exports. Does Africa Benefit from South-South Trade?

This think piece was commissioned by the OECD, as part of the Framework for the 2011 African Economic Outlook Report. It focuses on the topic - Technological content of South/South trade: does Africa benefit? African countries are transitioning from an era of post-colonialism where they largely depended on the West for their economic relations to one where they significantly interact with virtually every region in the world. How is this normalisation reflected on trade flows? What can we say about the patterns of technological content of African trade with the emerging partners vis a vis the traditional ones?

• IDS key contact: Xavier Cirera
• Project dates: January 2011 - March 2011
• Project status: Closed
• Funder: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development - Development Assistance Committee (OECD - DAC)
• Total project value:€ 3,000

Researchers

• Xavier Cirera
• Ricardo Markwald, FUNCEX

Selected Outputs

• Cirera, X. and Markwald, R. (2011) 'The Level of Sophistication and Technological Content of African Exports. Does Africa Benefit from South-South trade?' , Paris: OECD Publishing