Proportion of Firms with Internet Access

222
AFRICA
’
S SILK ROAD
:
CHINA AND INDIA
’
S NEW ECONOMIC FRONTIER
the most pronounced in Ghana, with micro and small firms having little access to financial services, but large and very large firms having access equivalent to that of South African companies. The difference in access to financial services between exporters and nonexporters is also the largest in Ghana, visible in Senegal, and not very significant in
Tanzania.
Labor Market Rigidities and Shortages in Skilled Labor
Restrictive labor regulations can limit flexibility and increase operating costs. Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from very large regulatory burdens on labor markets, which translates into excessively high rigidity in workers’
mobility (see table A highly skilled labor force is critical for firms operating in Africa,
including firms owned by Chinese and Indians, to build export competitiveness. The shortage of skilled labor is the most significant constraint reported by the majority of the firms that participated in the WBAATI
business case studies (see box 4.4). The types of skills that are in short supply vary among countries and sectors. In some cases, the scarcity of skilled labor (for example, technicians) is acute. In other cases, firms claim that there is not a sufficient supply of skilled engineers and managers with experience in export-oriented business and modern commercial practices.
FIGURE 4.23
Proportion of Firms with Access to Financial Services (Overdraft Facility

Download 5.17 Mb.

Share with your friends: