Banking on success? leveraging the banking sector better for accelerated structural transformation

Abstract

One of the major limiting factors for growth and transformation in Eastern Africa has been the lack of finance. Mainstream debates tend to focus on the issue of 'financial inclusion' at the expense of considering why the banking sector in Eastern Africa has not been more effective. The banking sector across the region has not been playing its role in terms of providing sufficient credit to the private sector and strategic industries. This session will discuss how the banking sector can be more closely aligned to national development objectives and structural transformation. It will count on various experts to inform the discussions, and will look in particular at a number of case studies from the region (e.g. Kenya and Ethiopia), as well as drawing on international experience.