There is no one ‘big’ answer to how growth can be generated; instead we must break down the question, piece-by-piece, in search of the many smaller answers that together can produce transformational change for growth.

The IGC held its 2015 Africa Growth Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from Monday 29 June – Wednesday 1 July. The Africa Growth Forum (AGF) is an annual conference bringing together the research and policy communities to discuss the challenges and opportunities to fostering sustainable development in Africa. The AGF also serves as a platform, showcasing research and ideas that have been or are currently being tested and implemented throughout the International Growth Centre’s (IGC’s) network. Highlighting innovative methods and approaches that are being used in various development contexts creates a space for match-making between researchers and policymakers on the basis of shared challenges and opportunities. The forum also facilitates the transfer of knowledge and ideas within the IGC network and beyond.

Emerging from three days of lectures, panels and framework sessions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the overarching message of AGF 2015 was the importance of identifying the mechanisms and policies that must be in place for Africa to rapidly industrialise and urbanise. These twin challenges require innovative research and policy engagement across all four of the IGCs thematic areas: State, Firms, Cities, and Energy.

Careful understanding of the contextual factors that can best deliver growth in Africa will require collaboration between academics and policymakers for the co-generation of both research questions and the design of innovative solutions. Avenues for future collaboration include the following areas:

• Identifying mechanisms to strengthen state effectiveness and governance, including an emphasis on the use of effective recruitment, incentives and monitoring strategies for service delivery.

• Creating jobs within existing sectors and expanding industrial bases to encourage job-creation in higher-value sectors. Investments in high-value production chains can facilitate integration of African firms into global supply chains.

• Designing instruments to facilitate careful urban planning is essential to generate financing for urban growth that fosters the development of productive and liveable cities. Importantly urban planning must account for increased pressure on services that will arise from continuing urban migration flows of low-income workers.

• Encouraging demand-side alternatives for energy generation such as incentives that encourage consumer payment for electricity consumption.