IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v13y2025i1p21-d1567514.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pathways to Progress: Unveiling Structural Change in Africa Through Economic Transformation, Technology, Talent, and Tourism

Author

Listed:
  • Hugo Pinto

    (Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    CinTurs—Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    CES—Centre for Social Studies, Colégio de S. Jerónimo, 3000-995 Coimbra, Portugal)

  • Evans Odoi

    (Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

  • Carla Nogueira

    (Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
    CinTurs—Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal)

  • Luiz Fernando Câmara Viana

    (Federal Institute of Brasília, Brasília 70830-450, DF, Brazil)

Abstract

African economies are undergoing significant structural transformation, transitioning from agriculture to manufacturing, services, and technology-driven industries. Driven by urbanization, technological innovation, and global trade, this shift offers opportunities for sustainable growth but faces challenges such as infrastructure gaps and institutional hurdles. This paper examines the dynamics of structural change in 54 African countries, focusing on the roles of technology, talent, and tourism. Using World Bank data, factor and cluster analyses reveal five latent components: structural conditions, public sector capacities, dynamic conditions, urbanization, and growth. The analysis categorizes countries into six clusters, from Developing Economies to African Powerhouses. The findings emphasize the critical role of technology in boosting productivity, the importance of talent development through education and workforce integration, and the potential of sustainable tourism to drive transformation. This research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding Africa’s structural transformation, offering actionable insights to address disparities and promote equitable development across the continent.

Suggested Citation

  • Hugo Pinto & Evans Odoi & Carla Nogueira & Luiz Fernando Câmara Viana, 2025. "Pathways to Progress: Unveiling Structural Change in Africa Through Economic Transformation, Technology, Talent, and Tourism," Economies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:13:y:2025:i:1:p:21-:d:1567514
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/13/1/21/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/13/1/21/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:13:y:2025:i:1:p:21-:d:1567514. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.