From October 13-18, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund hosted their 2025 Annual meetings, gathering prominent figures in growth finance from around the world. Foresight Africa was on the scene throughout the week to speak to some of these influential leaders making and shaping policy throughout the world.
In this interview, host Landry Signé speaks with Arthur Minsat, Head of the Unit for Africa, Europe and the Middle East at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Center. Dr. Minsat has worked on development economics in Africa, including at the U.N.Development Program and with the U.N. Operations in Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI).
LANDRY SIGNÉ: Hello, I am Landry Signé, a Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and development Programme and the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution. Welcome to the Foresight Africa Podcast, where I engage with distinguished leaders in academia, policy, buisness, and civil society to share their unique insights and innovative solutions to Africa’s challenges while highlighting also amazing opportunities to advance engagement between Africa and the rest of the world.
Today we are lucky to be meeting on the sidelines of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund’s Annual Meetings: a yearly gathering of the world’s most influential leaders in the development finance space, and these include central bankers, finance ministers, but also heads of global and regional institutions, corporate CEOs, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders. Welcome to the Brookings Institution Foresight Africa Podcast!
ARTHUR MINSAT: Thank you, Landry! A pleasure to be here.
LANDRY SIGNÉ: Before we begin, could you please state your full name and your title?
ARTHUR MINSAT: I’m Arthur Minsat, Head of the Africa Unit, Europe and Middle east at the OECD Development Centre. pleasure to be here.
LANDRY SIGNÉ: Amazing. So I am delighted to have you join us during this hectic time, and we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your words of wisdom with our audience. As you take part in this year’s annual meetings, which priorities do you see as the most essential for driving sustainable and inclusive growth worldwide and why?
ARTHUR MINSAT: So for Africa, I’ll focus on education, infrastructure and sustainable debt management in the future. On infrastructure, we are seeing that if African countries were to invest about the same as China or Vietnam they could more than double their GDP growth.
They would add 4.5 percentage point to the annual GDP growth by investing 5.6% of the annual GDP in productive infrastructure. By 2040, that would more than double Africa’s GDP.So having targeted investment for Africa’s productive conversion is meaningful for Africa to create jobs to increase productivity, but also for the rest of the world as they are major opportunities for investment in the continent. And to continue with the global growth. So that’s the first element is infrastructure and investment in infrastructure.
Second is on education. There is much progress that has been made in education. But simultaneously occurring, we measure education by the quantity of the learning. We still see that the gap between the African continent is larger than with African regions,yet investment in education and smart investment in initiatives that can really make a difference,such as training the trainers,targeted pedagogy has more returns on investment at the macro and at the microeconomic level in African countries than in other parts of the world. Of course there are many different situations.If you ta
Unlocking Africa’s Potential: AI, Investment, and inclusive Growth
Many countries want to invest in artificial intelligence to modernize and benefit from the new industrial revolution, particularly through advancements in telecommunications and other technologies. It’s crucial to understand the trade-offs to boost productivity and ensure those gains create quality jobs, especially in countries with large informal economies. In many African nations, up to 86% of the workforce operates in the informal sector, depending on how it’s measured.
The goal is to help small and medium-sized businesses grow and seize the significant opportunities available across the african continent. Africa is experiencing major shifts, including rapid urbanization, a growing middle class, the Continental Free Trade Area creating common markets, and a remarkably youthful population. Actually, 86% of the world’s population growth over the next decade will come from Africa.These opportunities exist despite a tendency to underestimate the risks associated with investing in the region.
LANDRY SIGNÉ: That’s insightful, and I appreciate your emphasis on the private sector’s critical role. How are international financial institutions adapting their strategies and tools to the changing geopolitical and economic landscape, and where can they have the biggest impact?
ARTHUR MINSAT: Blended finance is key to attracting and mobilizing private investment. It can take many forms.
A challenge we face is that we haven’t been able to effectively leverage the amounts needed to move from billions to trillions in investment. The tools we use need to be carefully tailored to local conditions and designed to work with a diverse range of investors.
For example, consider infrastructure in Africa. Secondary markets aren’t developed enough to attract private investment, including venture capital and larger institutional investors like pension funds. These investors need more secure investment options and harmonized legal frameworks.