African Review of Economics and Finance 

About: African Review of Economics and Finance is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): China & Poverty. It has an ISSN identifier of 2042-1478. Over the lifetime, 165 publications have been published receiving 1810 citations.

A financial ratio analysis of commercial bank performance in South Africa

Abstract: This paper investigates the performance of South Africa’s commercial banking sector for the period 2005- 2009. Financial ratios are employed to measure the profitability, liquidity and credit quality performance of five large South African based commercial banks. The study found that overall bank performance increased considerably in the first two years of the analysis. A significant change in trend is noticed at the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007, reaching its peak during 2008-2009. This resulted in falling profitability, low liquidity and deteriorating credit quality in the South African Banking sector.

The changing face of Ghanaian towns

Abstract: The paper argues that the face of Ghanaian towns has changed since the initial contact with the colonialists. Investments in infrastructure, urbanisation and enhanced economic activities have combined to change the face of Ghanaian towns. These changes in turn have affected the quality of urban life and the disparity in development between the north and the south as well as in various towns with marked spatial segregation of residential areas. Considering that the current face of several Ghanaian towns is characterised by overcrowding, cluttering of houses, insanitary conditions and poor environmental conditions; it is argued that the face of Ghanaian towns should increasingly reflect orderly development, adequate environmental sanitation, tolerable densities and effective local planning to create a more livable and sustainable environment. Keywords: Urbanisation, urban form, urban infrastructure, Ghanaian towns

The Impact of Corporate Board Meetings on Corporate Performance in South Africa

Abstract: We investigate the impact of corporate board meetings on corporate performance for a sample of 169 listed corporations from 2002 to 2007 in South Africa (SA). Our findings suggest a statistically significant and positive association between the frequency of corporate board meetings and corporate performance, implying that SA boards that meet more frequently tend to generate higher financial performance. A further investigation indicates a significant non-monotonic link between the frequency of corporate board meetings and corporate performance, suggesting that either a relatively small or large number of corporate board meetings impacts positively on corporate performance. Our findings are consistent across a raft of econometric models that control for different types of endogeneities and corporate performance proxies. Our results provide empirical support for agency theory, which suggests that corporate boards that meet more frequently have increased capacity to effectively advise, monitor and discipline management, and thereby improving corporate financial performance.

Africa's failed economic development trajectory : a critique

Abstract: Crisis narratives and populist representations of the woes of Africa abound. Civil society organisations do not always help, as their activities continue to sustain a particularly negative image of Africa. ‘Revisionists’ have tried to counter this state of affairs by providing ‘success stories’ about Africa. Thus, the literature on the state of affairs in Africa is reduced to a bifurcation of ‘failure’ and ‘success’ without resolving the fundamental question of whether there is something wrong with economic development in Africa. This paper tries to move that state of knowledge forward by providing a systematic analysis of what development analysts and practitioners mean by ‘economic development’, while exploring how adequate are the indices for measuring the idea. Framing the question in those terms reveals a complex ensemble of findings among which are the contested nature of economic development, its indicators, and predictions – findings which have substantial implications for judging whether there is something wrong with economic development in Africa. Keywords : Africa, Socio-economic Indicators, Progress, Development

Assessment of the Impact of Oil: Opportunities and Challenges for Economic Development in Sudan

Abstract: This paper assesses the effect of oil on economic development in Sudan and discusses related opportunities and challenges We provide a comprehensive analysis using the most recent secondary data, with a view to clarifying the positive and negative effects of oil on Sudan’s economic development We support the view that oil has had a mixed blessing on the Sudanese economy, arguing that oil is an important resource, particularly in satisfying domestic consumption and the achievement of self sufficiency by increasing public sector revenues Although oil has helped to improve economic performance in the country, we find that the recent dependence on oil may spark other problems because it is an exhaustible resource and the instability of oil prices in the international market could produce uncertainty in domestic growth Moreover, the increasing dependence on oil raises the possibilities of a ‘Dutch Disease’ and a lack of diversification, which may aggravate challenges linked to the division of the country and the potential for conflict with newly independent Southern Sudan