SCIS Annual Inequality Lecture – Exploring the Changing Dynamics of Inequality in Africa

Speaker Bio

Ernest Aryeetey

Ernest Aryeetey is an Emeritus Professor of Development Economics at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana. Until July 2024, he was the Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), a network of 20 of Africa’s flagship universities. He is a former Vice-Chancellor of University of Ghana and was also previously Director of ISSER. Ernest Aryeetey was the first Director of the Africa Growth Initiative of Brookings Institution, Washington D.C.

He has held academic appointments at the School of Oriental and African Studies (London), Yale University and Swarthmore College in the U.S. at various points in time. Ernest Aryeetey was a member of the Governing Council of the United Nations University (2016-2019) and was also previously Chairman of the Advisory Board of the UNU-World Institute for Development Economics Research (Helsinki). He is currently the Board Chairman of the African Economic Research Consortium. He was, until December 2021, the Board Chairman of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited. He holds honorary degrees from University of Sussex (UK), Lund University (Sweden), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), University of Ghana, Legon (Ghana, University of Health and Applied Sciences (Ghana), University of Glasgow (UK) and University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa).

One of Ernest Aryeetey’s strategic priorities as Vice-Chancellor at the University of Ghana was to develop the University into a research-intensive institution that supports structural transformation in Africa. As ARUA Secretary-General his major pre-occupation was to show that collaboration was key in making African universities more competitive globally while remaining relevant to their communities.  

Abstract

Africa remains one of the world’s most unequal regions. This situation is shaped by a complex interplay of structural barriers, fragmented labour markets, premature deindustrialisation, and reliance on low-productivity agriculture. Most new labour market entrants find only insecure, low-mobility work, while a privileged few accesses wage employment. These challenges are compounded by several other factors, including climate change and external shocks, which deepen intergenerational poverty and gender disparities. Inequality in Africa is not a natural outcome of economic growth but the result of policy choices that affect how individuals and households respond, institutional legacies, and power structures that favour elites, as evidenced by persistent illicit capital flight and rent-seeking.

This address will explore how factors behind inequality play out in today’s Africa and what it will take to tackle them. The paper will highlight the need for accelerated structural transformation, progressive fiscal reforms, and stronger redistributive mechanisms. It will demonstrate that reducing inequality requires systemic changes, including aligning economic growth with equity, harnessing technology for inclusion, and fostering regional cooperation on taxation and climate resilience. The appropriate reliance on social protection programs will also be highlighted, with an emphasis on employment as the best form of social protection. Without bold reforms, Africa risks becoming home to most of the world’s extreme poor. Africa’s experience demonstrates that inequality is not inevitable but a product of history and policy—and therefore can be changed.

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