Event

In recent decades we have witnessed unsurpassed leaps in human development. Global poverty is down, life expectancy is up and infant mortality rates are in decline. Tragically, Sub-Saharan Africa is missing out on the opportunities created by globalization. Indeed, this is a region ravaged by stagnation. And no quick fixes will help to place it firmly on the road to prosperity. Much of the discussion concerning Africa’s development has centred on the need for heavier foreign aid flows.

Peter Draper, one of the foremost experts on African trade, argues, however, that the only way for Africa to get out of poverty is through international trade and investment. These tools, contends Draper, are far more efficient than aid. The ongoing negotiations to arrive at a new EU-Africa trade agreement highlight the pressing nature of this issue. Peter Draper’s talk will be followed by a brief Q&A session.

Peter Draper is a Research Fellow and Head of the Development Through Trade programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs, Senior Fellow at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and a leading expert on trade policy in Southern Africa.