Fantu Cheru

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Fantu Cheru is a Senior Researcher at the African Studies Centre, Leiden University (The Netherlands) and Associate Senior Fellow at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). From 2007-12, he was the Research Director at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. Previously, Dr. Cheru served as a member of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Panel on Mobilizing International Support for the New Partnership for African Development (2005-2007) as well as Convener of the Global Economic Agenda Track of the Helsinki Process on Globalization and Democracy, a joint initiatives of the Governments of Finland and Tanzania. Dr. Cheru also served as the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Foreign Debt and Structural Adjustment for the UN Commission for Human Rights in Geneva from 1998-2001. In addition, Dr. Cheru has served both as an advisor and consultant to a number of governments and donor institutions including the UN Economic Commission for Africa, UNDP, UN-Habitat, SIDA, DANIDA, NORAD, among others. Among Professor Cheru’s publications include: Agricultural Development and Food Security in Africa: The Impact of Chinese, Indian and Brazilian Investments (2013)

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Alejandra B Osorio

Wellesley College

Oliver P Richmond

The University of Manchester

David Seamon

Kansas State University

Ariya Aruninta

Chulalongkorn University

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Noe Cornago

University of the Basque Country, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

Harry Cleaver

The University of Texas at Austin

Shabib H . Syed

University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Derek H Alderman

University of Tennessee Knoxville

Ian G Baird

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Papers by Fantu Cheru

Mondialisation et urbanisation inégale en Afrique – CETRI - Centre Tricontinental

Saving the Horn of Africa from its elites: What prospects for the future of peace in the region

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Developing countries and the right to development: a retrospective and prospective African view

Third World Quarterly, Apr 22, 2016

Abstract The end of World War II, and the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, unleashed ... more Abstract The end of World War II, and the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, unleashed great expectations of a brave new world, in which the promotion and protection of human rights would become the central organising principle of international relations. This article examines the long struggle that African countries, joined by other developing countries, have waged at the UN for a New International Economic Order (NIEO) and for the right to development to be recognised as legally enforceable and universal. To date, however, the right to development has not entered the practical realm of planning and implementation at the national and international levels. The article assesses the internal and external factors that have prevented countries in the Global South from fulfilling the rights of their citizens to development and from moving the agenda forward.

Catalysing China–Africa Ties for Africa’s Structural Transformation

China-Africa and an Economic Transformation

Economic cooperation between China and Africa has deepened in scope and scale in recent times, an... more Economic cooperation between China and Africa has deepened in scope and scale in recent times, and FOCAC has emerged as the largest South–South economic partnership platform. However, evidence suggests that the catalytic effect of China–Africa engagement on the economic transformation of African countries has been uneven, primarily shaped by the strategic response of the respective African countries. This chapter proposes that China–Africa economic ties should be examined from a structural transformation perspective to adequately evaluate the catalytic effect of Chinese engagement on the economic growth and diversification of African economies, the development of domestic capabilities, and lastly on Africa’s successful insertion into the globalized economy of the twenty-first century. Based on the experience of Ethiopia, the chapter unpacks the pathways to structural transformation in the African context, and the role of the state in guiding the economy through a proactive and strat...

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An Urban Planning Perspective on Industrial Hubs and Economic Development

The historical evidence on modern economic growth identifies the significant role of urbanization... more The historical evidence on modern economic growth identifies the significant role of urbanization in facilitating innovation diffusion and economic productivity. While cities and urban areas play a critical role in African economies by generating a high proportion of national GDP, the links between urbanization and industrialization are poorly understood by policymakers. To reverse the pervasive anti-urban bias in development policy pursued by the majority of African governments, and to harness urbanization’s potential for Africa’s structural transformation, calls for stronger rural‒urban linkages through the provision of infrastructure and services to spark the potential of particular regions’ latent endowments. Industrial parks and special economic zones are important instruments for pursuing cluster-based development of small and medium-sized cities through proactive, comprehensive urban planning. This chapter examines the potential of growth-pole and city cluster development approaches for managing urbanization for Africa’s industrialization, exploring thematically and structurally closely related urban-sector activities.

Saving the Horn of Africa from its elites: What prospects for the future of peace in the region

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7 New Social Movements: Democratic Struggles and Human Rights in Africa

Lynne Rienner Publishers eBooks, Dec 31, 1996

The not so brave new world! Problems and prospects of regional integration in Post-Apartheid Southern Africa

... PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTHERN AFRICA Fantu Cheru ... more

Encyclopedia of globalization

Choice Reviews Online, Oct 1, 2007

This document will continue to evolve as the IR expands. Additional guidelines will be drafted, a... more

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Catalysing China–Africa Ties for Africa’s Structural Transformation

Oxford University Press eBooks, Apr 15, 2019

The development landscape for Africa has changed drastically with the emergence of new developmen... more The development landscape for Africa has changed drastically with the emergence of new development partners from the South, such as China, India, Brazil, and Turkey. While the OECD countries will remain important partners for Africa for the foreseeable future, the centre of gravity is irrevocably shifting South-South and eastwards (Alden, 2007; Cheru and Obi, 2010; Manning, 2006). The impressive growth registered over the past decade in many African countries has been underpinned by the insatiable appetite of emerging economies for African oil, gas, and mineral resources, coupled with expanded investment in Africa's infrastructure sector, which has enabled African countries such as Ethiopia to raise their productive potential, diversify their economic base, and move goods to local, regional, and global markets relatively quickly (The Economist, 2011; UNECA, 2013). Improved access to transport and energy has been critical in the observed productivity gain in agriculture and other sectors. This positive portrayal of China's role in Africa does not suggest that there are no tensions between the two trading partners over economic policy. As a rising global power with a huge stake in the global economy, China behaves in the same way as the United States or any other developed country in the conduct of its economic relations with Africa. Despite the official rhetoric of mutual interest and solidarity with African nations, China's national interest is always paramount. Possible areas of tension between China and Africa could

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Developing countries and the right to development: a retrospective and prospective African view

Routledge eBooks, Apr 19, 2018

Negotiated Securitization? Examining Ethiopia’s Post-2016 Refugee Policy Shift

Journal of Asian and African Studies

The year 2016 is remembered globally for the adoption of the New York Declaration and its Compreh... more The year 2016 is remembered globally for the adoption of the New York Declaration and its Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) as the new global refugee response model. In this regard, Ethiopia has been one of those African countries that have adopted the Declaration, made specific CRRF pledges and has become a CRRF pilot country. Such national policy move heralded the shift of refugee policy in Ethiopia in the post-2016 era. Nonetheless, compared to the focus accorded to refugees and the role of international institutions and donors, the role of African hosting states in the governance of refugees and how they navigate internal and external demands and adopt policies have been paid little scholarly attention. This study, therefore, aims to fill in this scholarly gap and contribute to the existing debate in the academic and policy circle on state response to refugees in the era of CRRF from the Global South perspective by providing an empirical insight into the nature, dy...

Countering ‘new imperialisms’: what role for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development?

The rise of China and India in Africa, 2010

Chapter 10. Food Security and Institutional Development in SADCC

Lynne Rienner Publishers eBooks, Dec 31, 1988

Harnessing south-south cooperation

Developmental Regionalism and Economic Transformation in Southern Africa, 2020

Ethiopia’s ‘Economic Diplomacy’ and Regional Integration

The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy, 2019

Sixteen years ago the government of Ethiopia adopted the 2002 Foreign Affairs and National Securi... more Sixteen years ago the government of Ethiopia adopted the 2002 Foreign Affairs and National Security Policy, which emphasized ‘economic diplomacy’ as the cornerstone of its foreign policy. A central component of the strategy has been regional integration with Ethiopia’s neighbours in the Horn and Eastern Africa. Since then the political contexts have changed dramatically. Ethiopia is now seen as an attractive destination for labour-intensive manufacturing and the government continues to invest in mega infrastructure and power generation projects to drive its industrial ambition. However, the Ethiopian state faces a storm of internal and external threats that could undermine its ambitious programme of economic transformation and regional integration. This chapter assesses the extent to which the emphasis on ‘economic diplomacy’ has helped the government achieve its goals of economic development, regional integration, and peace and stability in a region where state weakness, poor gover...

Ethiopia: rural development options

Agricultural development is a major source of employment, revenue and export earnings in countrie... more

African Renaissance: Roadmaps to the Challenge of Globalization

International Journal of African Historical Studies, 2003

... Mbeki, who in every other area of policy has proved to be an intelligent pragmatist, should h... more

The State of Addis Ababa 2017 : the Addis Ababa we want

The State of Addis Ababa 2017 report is aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of existing... more The State of Addis Ababa 2017 report is aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of existing socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the city, shedding light on the impacts of on-going fast paced urbanization. The report addresses policy makers and city planners and makes bold recommendations on how resources can be strategically developed and managed to sustainably meet the needs of the urban population of today and the future, improve the short- and long-term wellbeing of citizens and transform Addis Ababa into the city that the citizenry wants.

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A Political Agenda for Global Economic Governance

... in terms of transformational change in order to reverse the current pattern of inequality at ... more ... in terms of transformational change in order to reverse the current pattern of inequality at the ... 55: and agriculture 38, 217: and conflict-affected countries 36-8: coordination of 40: decline in 121 ... contract conditionality 1 38: and 'Dutch disease'37-8. 46, 53: and economic growth 30 ...

Mondialisation et urbanisation inégale en Afrique – CETRI - Centre Tricontinental

Saving the Horn of Africa from its elites: What prospects for the future of peace in the region

Download

Developing countries and the right to development: a retrospective and prospective African view

Third World Quarterly, Apr 22, 2016