Abstract
This study examines the extent of manufacturing export in ECOWAS countries, how it has been affected by the extent of infrastructural development and the distilling role of institutions. In retrospect, we present stylized facts that proves that ECOWAS poor infrastructural development has largely being driven by the poor institutions, which promotes private benefits rather than public good (such as infrastructure). In essence, this has hampered manufacturing export and reduced the extent of competitiveness of these countries.
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- 1.
Considering that African countries’ average inflation rate of 7.08 for 2003–2010 (according to the United Nations Statistics, available at http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_archive/2012annex_tables.pdf), then the value for US$150 billion in 2010 would be about US$1 trillion, which is over 11 times more than the annual contribution required for infrastructural development.
- 2.
For more discussion on the importance of the manufacturing sector, see Mbate (2014), who examined industrial policy and structural changes in ECOWAS countries.
- 3.
Other measure of infrastructure (Logistic Performance Index) was presented in Table 3.
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Acknowledgement
The authors are grateful to CREPOL and for the grant that made it possible to attend the annual conference on regional integration in Africa (ACGRIA5), organized by CREPOL, July 2014 at Praia, Cape Verde, where the first draft of this paper was presented. All comments from the conference participants are highly appreciated.
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Efobi, U.R., Osabuohien, E.S. (2016). Manufacturing Export, Infrastructure and Institutions: Reflections from ECOWAS. In: Seck, D. (eds) Accelerated Economic Growth in West Africa. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16826-5_8
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