Livingston says the low levels of African productivity are linked to a lack ofinvestment in agriculture by African governments and donor organizations over the last two decades.
Other pump-priming measures include increased social security spending, new investment in agriculture and a package of inducements and tax credits to encourage exports.
Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment, and the government has increased spending on agriculture to 7% of its budget.
Much of this optimism is coming from expectations for a big contribution from agriculture, and not investment-led growth, which may last longer and boost the beleaguered industrial sector.
The clean-energy export initiative is also being sponsored by the Departments of Commerce, State, and Agriculture and a clutch of federal agencies like the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.