The challenge of developing special economic zones in Africa: Evidence and lessons learnt

Special economic zones (SEZs) are mushrooming across the developing world. Increasingly, policymakers resort to zones with the aim of turning around their countries’ economic fortunes. Zones are expected to deliver greater innovation, exports, knowledge and technological spillovers. Yet, little is known about the state of play of SEZs in Africa, where almost half of SEZ programmes are less than 10 years old. The recent proliferation of SEZs in the continent has rendered the need to ensure that SEZs deliver on their objectives more impelling, given the often non-negligible opportunity costs associated with SEZ development. This article addresses this knowledge gap and sheds light on African SEZ practices. The analysis of a novel dataset highlights that (i) African SEZs are on a steep upward trend and are changing in nature; (ii) the ability of African SEZs to attract industrial activity, proxied by firms, and generate employment remains limited; and (iii) African SEZ governance policies (over)rely on fiscal incentives and performance requirements. Case studies from Ethiopia, Morocco and South Africa suggest that those African SEZ programmes that have a well-targeted strategic focus, promote institutional collaboration and take a proactive approach to create linkages with the local economy are more likely to succeed. Las zonas económicas especiales (ZEE) están proliferando en todo el mundo en países en desarrollo. Cada vez más, los políticos recurren a estas zonas con el objetivo de cambiar el destino económico de sus países. Se espera que las zonas aporten más innovación, exportaciones, conocimientos y spillovers tecnológicos. Sin embargo, no se sabe mucho sobre la situación de las ZEE en África, donde casi la mitad de los programas de ZEE tienen menos de 10 años. La reciente proliferación de ZEE en el continente ha hecho más apremiante la necesidad de garantizar que las ZEE cumplan sus objetivos, dados los costos de oportunidad, a menudo no despreciables, asociados al desarrollo de las ZEE. Este artículo aborda esta laguna de conocimiento y esclarece las prácticas de las ZEE africanas. El análisis de un novedoso conjunto de datos pone de manifiesto que (i) las ZEE africanas presentan una marcada tendencia al alza y sus características están cambiando; (ii) la capacidad de las ZEE africanas para atraer la actividad industrial, indicada por las empresas, y generar empleo sigue siendo limitada; y (iii) las políticas de gobernanza de las ZEE africanas dependen (sobremanera) de los incentivos fiscales y los requisitos de desempeño. Los estudios de caso de Etiopía, Marruecos y Sudáfrica sugieren que los programas de ZEE africanas que tienen un enfoque estratégico bien orientado, promueven la colaboración institucional y adoptan un enfoque proactivo para establecer vínculos con la economía local tienen más probabilidades de éxito. 開発途上国では、経済特区(Special Economic zone:SEZ)が急増している。政策立案者は、自国の経済状況を好転させるために、経済特区を利用するようになってきている。経済特区は、より規模の大きなイノベーション、輸出、知識及び技術の波及効果をもたらすことが期待される。しかし、アフリカにおけるSEZの状況はほとんど知られておらず、アフリカのSEZプログラムのおよそ半分は実施されてから10年未満のものである。アフリカ大陸において最近SEZが急増しているが、SEZの開発に伴う機会費用は往々にしてかなりのものであることを考慮すると、SEZはその目的を確実に達成する必要性に迫られている。本稿では、この未知の領域を取り上げ、アフリカのSEZの実情を明らかにする。新しいデータセットを分析すると、以下の事項が明らかになった。1)アフリカのSEZは急激な増加傾向にあり、その特性は変化している。2)アフリカのSEZが企業に代わって産業活動を誘致し雇用を創出する能力には依然として限界がある。3)アフリカのSEZの管理政策は、財政的インセンティブとパフォーマンス要件に(過度に)依存している。エチオピア、モロッコ、南アフリカの事例を用いたケーススタディから、アフリカのSEZプログラムは、戦略の焦点を絞り、組織的な連携を促進し、地域経済とのつながりを生み出すための積極的なアプローチをとることで成功する可能性が高くなることが示唆される。 Special economic zones (SEZs) – geographically delimited areas where governments promote industrial activity through both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, infrastructure provision and improved services – are becoming an increasingly widespread economic development tool both in Africa and the rest of the emerging world. The adoption of zone-based developmental strategies, limited until the 1990s, has reached new heights in the last two decades. Developing countries’ governments, under pressure to attract mobile investment and industrial activity, have resorted to SEZs to spur innovation, productivity, economic growth and dynamism. Recent estimates show that there are around 5,400 zones globally, up from 80 in 1975 (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD], 2019). Although they still account for a mere 4% of the global tally, SEZs in Africa are picking up pace rapidly. Many countries in the continent are seeking to revamp already existing SEZ programmes or establish new SEZ regimes. 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