Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) organised a two-day conference, bringing together academics, researchers, policymakers, sector regulators, and development experts from South Africa, other African countries, and the rest of the world. Here, they explored the challenges and opportunities presented by infrastructure development in telecommunications, electricity, transportation, water, and other sectors. By focusing on developing economies, the workshop shed light on the critical role of infrastructure in driving economic growth, enhancing competitiveness, and improving the quality of life. The conference consisted of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and sessions with presentations of selected research papers. There will also be opportunities for networking and collaborative discussions.
Programme
Day 1 – Thursday 5 December
| Start | End | Description | Speakers |
| 09:00 | 09:15 | Registration and welcome | |
| 09:15 | 11:00 | Session 1: Water and energy | Chair: Lukasz Grzybowski (University of Cape Town & ERSA) |
| Handpumps and Health: The impact of water supply on child diarrhea in Kenya | Cecilia Njoroge (University of Stellenbosch) Discussant: Yonas Alem (University of Gothenburg) | ||
| Estimating the economic impacts of a potential PtX green hydrogen industry in South Africa using an Input-Output model | Kreyan Shunmugam (DNA Economics) Discussant: Priviledge Cheteni (University of Cape Town) | ||
| 10:45 | 11:15 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:15 | 13:00 | Session 2: Telecoms and mobile money | Chair: Ryan Hawthorne (Acacia Economics) |
| Competition among banks and mobile money providers | Zubair Patel (FTI Consulting) Discussant: Onkokame Mothobi (University of Botswana) | ||
| Demand for Smartphones and Digital Divide | Lukasz Grzybowski (University of Cape Town) Discussant: Ryan Hawthorne (Acacia Economics) | ||
| 13:00 | 14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 14:00 | 15:30 | Keynote Session Market Structure and Welfare Analysis for the Mobile Telecommunications Industry | Marc Ivaldi (Toulouse School of Economics) |
| 15:30 | 16:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 16:00 | 17:45 | Session 3: Infrastructure and Development | Chair: Willem Boshoff (Stellenbosch University) |
| Reevaluating the Sustainable Development Thesis: Unravelling Socio-economic expansion in Africa via Infrastructure development and Institutions | Santos Bila (University of Johannesburg) Discussant: Zukile Sokapase (University of Cape Town | ||
| Large-scale Renewable Energy Projects and Local Economic Development in South Africa | Johann Langenbach (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) Discussant: Ludovica Mosillo (Northwestern University) | ||
| Convergence in infrastructure development and their drivers in Africa: Fresh policy insight from an algorithm approach | Charles Saba (University of Johannesburg) Discussant: Willem Boshoff (Stellenbosch University) | ||
| 19:00 | 21:00 | Conference Dinner |
Day 2 – Friday 6 December
| Start | End | Description | Speakers |
| 09:15 | 11:00 | Session 4: Energy supply | Chair: Yonas Alem (University of Gothenburg) |
| Dancing on the grid: Electricity crises, manufacturing energy vulnerability and jobs in South Africa | Elvis Korku Avenyo (University of Johannesburg) Discussant: Kanayo Ogujiuba (University of Mpumalanga) | ||
| Power Outage and Firm Generator Use: a Regression Discontinuity Analysis | Yonas Alem (University of Gothenburg) Discussant: Kafilah Gold (University of Johannesburg) | ||
| 11:00 | 11:30 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:30 | 13:00 | Session 5: Responses to Electricity and Water Shortages | Chair: Steve Koch (University of Pretoria) |
| The impact of relative price on household electricity consumption | Steve Koch (University of Pretoria) Discussant: Grant Smith (University of Cape Town) | ||
| To what degree are households responding optimally to electricity and water prices? | Grant Smith (University of Cape Town) Discussant: Steve Koch (University of Pretoria) | ||
| 13:00 | 14:00 | Lunch Break | |
| 14:00 | 15:30 | Policy Session with the City of Cape Town City of Cape Town Energy Strategy 2050 and availability of data for researchers | Hugh Cole (City of Cape Town) Paul Court (City of Cape Town) Kayleen Simpson (City of Cape Town) |
| 15:30 | 16:00 | Closing remarks |
