Agricultural Convergence Clubs in Africa Countries: A Note

Abstract The study investigates productivity club convergence to assess whether countries follow different African agriculture convergence trajectories. We employ cross country panel covering 1961-2012 across 48 countries with total factor productivity (TFP) as an indicator of agricultural productivity in the study. Empirical results show evidence of population divergence in agricultural TFP. Further analysis shows evidence of club convergence as countries follow different convergence trajectories. Specifically, the result identifies three different transition groups in the region's agricultural productivity convergence. Countries in the first and two groups show a convergence path, while countries in the third group exhibit a divergence path. A total of 16 and 28 countries in the sample converge into the first and second clubs. The implication of this is that efforts to intensify agricultural productivity might require club-specific attention. For instance, new agricultural technology diffusion might focus on countries within a specific club or group.