The Distribution of Firm Size in Africa and its Implication for Industrial Policy

Dr. Janvier D. Nkurunziza presented a paper that analyzed the distribution of firms into four size categories, namely micro, small, medium and large size. Using data on Kenya’s manufacturing sector, his empirical results suggest that firm growth is associated with overall economic performance, with research focuses on the economic crisis in Kenya in the 1990s. The results imply that supporting SMEs indiscriminately as is often suggested could be too costly. The event was preceded by a wine and cheese reception and followed by a Q & A.