Africa's export structure in a comparative perspective

Abstract

Cross-country econometric analysis informed by Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory suggests that the concentration of Africa’s exports on unprocessed primary products is caused largely by the region’s combination of low levels of education and abundant natural resources. In some African countries, the share of manufactures in exports could be raised by improving infrastructure and policies. For most of Africa, however, the highest priority is to raise the absolute level of exports in all sectors, and particularly in sectors based on natural resources, following a development path more like that of land-abundant America than that of land-scarce Asia.