Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Will China's special economic zones work in Africa?

The World Bank published a brief study in March 2010 titled "China's Investment in African Special Economic Zones: Prospects, Challenges and Opportunities" (PDF) by Deborah Brautigam, Thomas Farole and Tang Xiaoyang.

It describes the status of the five economic zones being constructed in Zambia, Ethiopia, Mauritius and two in Nigeria. The zones, which are modelled on a successful concept in China, are at an early stage of development. It is too early to judge their future, but a number of challenges have arisen and success is not guaranteed.