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Ethiopia has achieved sustained high growth for more than a decade. At the same time, the country has been facing several economic challenges, including falling exports, chronic foreign currency shortages, as well as a slow pace of structural transformation. In recent years, the already overvalued birr has appreciated sharply in real terms, partly driven by the appreciation of the dollar, thereby making Ethiopia's competitiveness and industrialization drive more difficult. In response to these challenges, this paper looks at the question of why the real exchange rate is a useful policy instrument. The analysis suggests that Ethiopia needs a more flexible exchange rate policy. A competitive or undervalued exchange rate is important in bringing about productivity-enhancing structural change. There is robust evidence that a real devaluation stimulates exports in general and manufacturing exports in particular, improves the trade and current account balances, and spurs economic growth. Currency undervaluation is a second-best policy intervention that can help offset some of the key constraints to manufacturing growth prevalent in low-income countries and speed up structural transformation. However, exchange rate adjustments need to take into account the increase in the cost of capital imports and debt burden.

Exchange Rate --- Export Competitiveness --- Exports --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Foreign Exchange --- Growth --- International Economics and Trade --- Structural Change

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Ghana has experienced a decade of solid and exceptionally high growth. Between 2005 and 2015, income nearly doubled. This paper analyzes the factors driving this impressive growth performance, using tools such as structural change decompositions and growth regressions. For the comparative perspective, the paper compares Ghana with its structural and aspirational peers. The paper finds that the contribution of structural change to growth has been limited and attributes this to labor that was freed up in agriculture not being absorbed by high-productivity sectors. Looking at factors that drove growth since 2000, financial development and infrastructure had the most important impacts. A benchmark analysis suggests that those areas should remain the policy focus over the longer term, but that near-term priority should be given to stabilization policies.

Agriculture --- Business cycles and stabilization policies --- Common carriers industry --- Construction industry --- Determinants of growth --- Economic growth --- Food and beverage industry --- Food security --- General manufacturing --- Inflation --- International economics and trade --- International trade and trade rules --- Labor markets --- Plastics and rubber industry --- Pulp and paper industry --- Social protections and labor --- Structural change --- Textiles apparel and leather industry