The Economic Development in Africa Report analyzes major aspects of Africa’s trade and development challenges, and explores policy issues of interest to African countries. It makes policy recommendations for action by African countries themselves, and by the international community to overcome the development challenges that the continent faces.
The Economic Development in Africa Report 2026 will explore the potential and challenges of blockchain-based financial markets to enhance trade and finance in Africa. The report will focus on the potential role of blockchain-based financial technologies to transform the management and monetization of Africa’s vast natural resources as vehicles for enhancing financial inclusion and sustainable development in Africa. The adoption of blockchain technology, especially for asset tokenization, presents an opportunity to democratize finance, reduce intermediaries, and enhance transparency and efficiency in resource governance. Further, blockchain-enabled financing tools can facilitate transparent and secure cross-border transactions, making trade and investment more accessible on the continent.
Objective
The hybrid peer review of the Economic Development in Africa Report 2026 brought together practitioners in blockchain-based technologies, thought leaders in economic, trade and financial analysis, research scholars, policy makers and regulators to review and discuss a draft of the forthcoming report. The objective of the peer review is to critically assess the methodologies followed in the report, deepen the analysis contained therein, in light of recent scholarship, and strengthen the relevance and practicality of the policy recommendations. The peer review is undertaken as part of a comprehensive effort to ensure the highest quality, analytical rigor, accuracy, and policy relevance of the final report.
Participants in the peer review included the following external experts:
- Ms. Mona Badran, Cairo University, Egypt
- Mr. Moonga Chinika, Central Bank of Zambia
- Mr. Tewodros Asmamaw Dessie, International Finance Corporation
- Ms. Emmanuelle Ganne, World Trade Organization
- Mr. Co-Pierre Georg, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany
- Mr. Patrik Hummel, Zug Institute for Blockchain Research, Switzerland
- Ms. Penelao Kapenda, Bank of Namibia
- Ms. Andrea Leiter, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Ms. Victoria Lemieux, University of British Columbia, Canada
- Ms. Elizabeth Nanziri, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Ms. Iota Kaousar Nassr, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Mr. Wim Naudé, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
- Mr. Andreas Park, University of Toronto, Canada
- Mr. Awelani Rahulani, Financial Sector Conduct Authority, South Africa
- Mr. Amadou Sy, International Monetary Fund
- Mr. Jan Wüstenfeld, Melanion GreenTech Solutions
