Tracking Progress on Macroeconomic and Social Developments in the Eastern Africa Region 2012-13

Given the complex global context, the continued resilience of economic growth in the Eastern Africa region has been quite remarkable. However, across the region, evidence supports the idea that, despite a much-improved economic performance in the 2000s after two decades of economic stagnation, many social and economic aspirations still need to be fulfilled. This report explores why this has been the case, focusing mainly on the issue of insufficient ‘structural transformation’, meaning a shift towards high-income generating activities and away from traditional dependence on the production of commodities and unprocessed goods.