Public Lecture on Sectoral Structural Transformation: Experience of Emerging Countries Given
Director of Ethiopian Development of Research Institute and Chief Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Neway Gebreab delivered a public lecture on “Sectoral Structural Transformation: Experience of Emerging Countries” on February 24, 2011 to Leadership and Good Governance Masters Students at the Ethiopian Civil Service University.
The Lecture was organized by the Institute of Leadership and Good Governance and it is the integral part of the teaching learning process. As it is stated in the ILG program, the objective of such kind of public lectures is to help students gain knowledge, skills and attitudes required to face the future challenges of the leadership in international and regional context.
Dr. Teshome Adugna, Lecturer at the institute began with the introduction of the speaker. He flagged off the presentation by appreciating and highlighting the importance of having a discussion on sectoral structural transformation.
H.E. Mr. Neway Gebreab’s presentation covered: Targets and Challenges of the GTP, and experience of other Countries. He started his presentation with the GTP focusing on the three economic sectors i.e. Agriculture, Industry and Services. In connection with this, he pointed out that the five years development plan is a long term vision to put Ethiopia amongst the lower middle income nations.
He further discussed about the experience of Asia, Latin America and Africa with regard to the three sectors. According to his presentation, in Asia, particularly in South Korea the share of agriculture decline and it is compensated with the share of increased industrialization. In Latin America the experience has been the same like Asia. When there is a decline in the share of agriculture there is an increase in the share of industry & services.
When we see the African experience it is a bit complicated, he said. When there is a decline in the share of agriculture, there will be very little increase in the share of industry & high increase in the share of service.
He also said
" of the challenges that Ethiopia could face is lack of investment in manufacturing sector. This is so because the preference of our domestic investors is to wards real estate, hotel and tourism."
He concluded his presentation by pointing out the solution that needs to be addressed urgently by the government which includes- urging the domestic private sector to join the industrialization by generating incentives to attract them like tax wavering, allocation of land, access to bank loans and other mechanisms.
After the presentation, comments and questions were taken from the floor. What is the major shift made on GTP from that of the previous two Plans? What are the mechanisms designed by the government to attract the private sector to take part in industrialization? What are the potential challenges while implementing GTP? Mr. Neway gave briefings for the questions raised by the students