Macro-economic analyses

The country assessments aid in analyzing the development processes of the countries in which AFD operates; describing their growth trajectory; and detecting the economic, social, political, and financial vulnerabilities associated with those trajectories. 

The assessments cover six major aspects:

• The background, including the political, socio-economic, demographic, historical, and geographical aspects likely to have an impact on economic balances
• The long-term growth trajectory, which takes into account underlying structural factors as well as aspects affected by the current economic climate
• The state of public finances and the sustainability of public debt
• External balances, through the analysis of the external financing needs and how they are covered
• The soundness of the financial and banking sector
• The economy’s exposure to climate and energy risks

These analyses are used to inform AFD’s operational and strategic decisions in the countries where we operate. 
 

Cross-functional analyses in development macro-economics focus on macro-economic issues related to the development process. They aid AFD in working out its action strategies. 

How are emerging countries becoming part of the commercial and financial globalized economy? What are the transmission channels between economic growth and job creation in the countries of the Southern Mediterranean? What are the challenges related to public debt and financing needs in Africa? What are the conditions needed for socio-economic development in West Africa, based on improving so-called non-price competitiveness and on the necessity for adaptation to and mitigation of the risks posed by climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy? These are some of the questions that these cross-functional analyses attempt to answer. 

• These analyses are featured by Editions Agence française de développement in its Macrodev collection. In particular, the “Semestrial Panorama” special issues shed light on the problems and major cyclical and structural issues of emerging and developing countries.
• Special attention is paid to Africa. Each year, new analyses of Africa’s main economic and social issues are published in African Economies in the “Repères” collection, co-published with La Découverte.