Bartholomew Armah

Dr. Bartholomew Armah is Chief of Development Planning, Macroeconomics and Governance Division at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Dr. Armah joined ECA following his tenure as a Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (USA). As the Director a.i., of the Macroeconomics and Governance Division of ECA [March 2020- March 2022] he led research on the macroeconomic impact of the pandemic on Africa and on on-lending Special Drawing Rights, for Africa’s pandemic recovery.

A development economist with expertise on debt management, economic development, development planning, and international trade, he designed the Integrated Planning and Reporting Tool (IPRT) – a development planning software that facilitates alignment of national development plans with continental and global frameworks such as the Africa Agenda 2063 and the 203 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The IPRT also tracks progress on national development plans, generates automated reports, and links development targets to sources of financing. He leads ECA’s publication of the report “Africa Sustainable Development Report”, which evaluates Africa’s performance on the 2030 Agenda and the African Union Agenda 2063: The Future We Want. He has published reports on Africa’s debt situation and on the role of Special Drawing Rights in responding to these challenges. He advises the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa on the design of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility, a special purpose vehicle designed to lower the cost of commercial borrowing by enhancing the liquidity, demand and price of sovereign bonds issued by emerging market economies.

He has served in several capacities including as Chief Economist of the Institute of Economic Affairs (Ghana), member of Ghana’s Monetary Policy Committee, board member of Ghana’s National Investment bank, and Policy and Planning Coordinator of the UN Secretary General’s Transition Team for the reform of the UN development system.

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PhD, Development Economics, University of Notre Dame, United States
BBA, Hope College

Economic Development
Development Planning
International Trade
Debt Management

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Armah, B. & Baek (2019) Prioritising Interventions for Sustainable Structural Transformation in Africa: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach. Review of Social Economy; Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group. ISSN: 0034-6764 (Print) 1470-1162 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rrse20 https://doi.org/10.1080/00346764.2019.1602277
Armah, & Baek (2018) Three Interventions to Foster Sustainable Transformation in Africa. The Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies. Volume 43, Number 1 & 2, Spring & Summer 2018.
Armah, & Baek SJ. Development (2017) Can the SDGs promote structural transformation in Africa? An empirical analysis ; doi:10.1057/s41301-016-0049-6.http://rdcu.be/ow6u
Bartholomew Armah: Book Chapter, Intervenciones estratégicas para el desarrollo sostenible: perspectivas desde África in book ‘New Approaches to Productive Development: State, Sustainability and Industrial Policy, pp.65-87. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/mexiko/13036.pdf
Armah B.K. et al. Structural Transformation for Inclusive Development in Africa: The role of active government policies. Development, 2014, 57(3-4), (438-451) © 2014 Society for International Development 1011-6370/15 www.sidint.net/development/
Armah B.K. Sustaining health for wealth: perspectives for the post-2015 agenda: Comment on “Improving the world’s health through the post-2015 development agenda: perspectives from Rwanda” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2015; 4(x):x–x. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2015.112 http://www.ijhpm.com/
Armah B. K. et. al., (2015) ECA’s Strategy for successful implementation of the SDGs. In Think Tanks and SDGs: Catalysts for Analysis, Innovation and Implementation. James McGann ed., Univ. of Pennsylvania.
Making Sense of Africa’s Priorities for the Post 2015 Development Agenda. Development, 2013, 56(1), (114–122). 2013 Society for International Development 1011-6370/13. sidint.net/development.
The MDGs and the post 2015 development agenda: a critical review http://www.thebrokeronline.eu/Blogs/Post-2015-shaping-a-global-agenda/A-critical-review
Towards a Transformative Post 2015 Development Agenda Great Insights Volume 2. Issue 3. April 2013.
Trade Structures, Employment and Incomes: The Ghanaian Experience in a Historical Comparative Perspective. Journal of African Economic History, Vol., 91, 1993.
Impact of Trade on Service Sector Employment: Implications for Women and Minorities. Contemporary Economic Policy XII, January 1994.
Manufacturing Trade-Related Employment Growth: Self-Employed and Wage & Salary Workers in Comparative Perspective. Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 33, No. 2 (April, 1995).
Trade-Affected Workers: Manufacturing and Services Compared. Social Science Journal, Vol. 33 No. 1, (January, 1996).
Unions, Minorities and U.S. Manufacturing Trade: 1979-1985. Atlantic Economic Journal, Vol. 23, No. 3, (September, 1995).
Foreign Corporate Acquisition Activity and Domestic Union Status in the U.S. with James Peoples, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. International Economic Journal, Volume 11 No. 3, (Autumn, 1997).
Does Latin America Have More to Gain from Exchange Liberalization than Sub-Saharan Africa? International Economic Journal, Volume 14, Number 2, Summer 2000.
Poverty Reduction Strategies in Action: Perspectives and Lessons from Ghana. Joe Amoaku-Tuffour and Bartholomew Armah editors. Lexington Books. Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Plymouth, UK. 2008.
Trade Liberalization and Growth in Developing Countries: 1950-88. In Satya D. Gupta ed., Globalization, Growth and Sustainability (Kluwer Academic Press, Boston/Dordrecht/London, 1997).
The Demographics of Trade-Affected Service and Manufacturing Sector Workers (1987-1990): A Comparative Analysis.” In James B. Stewart ed., African Americans and Post Industrial Labor Markets. (Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University New Brunswick NJ, 1997).