{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T03:48:23Z","timestamp":1780372103699,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":62,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,15]],"date-time":"2025-01-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1736899200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FCT\u2014Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","award":["UIDB\/04020\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/04020\/2020"]}]},{"name":"FCT\u2014Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology","award":["CEEC\u2014INST\/00052\/2021\/CP2792\/CT0001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CEEC\u2014INST\/00052\/2021\/CP2792\/CT0001"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Economies"],"abstract":"<jats:p>African economies are undergoing significant structural transformation, transitioning from agriculture to manufacturing, services, and technology-driven industries. Driven by urbanization, technological innovation, and global trade, this shift offers opportunities for sustainable growth but faces challenges such as infrastructure gaps and institutional hurdles. This paper examines the dynamics of structural change in 54 African countries, focusing on the roles of technology, talent, and tourism. Using World Bank data, factor and cluster analyses reveal five latent components: structural conditions, public sector capacities, dynamic conditions, urbanization, and growth. The analysis categorizes countries into six clusters, from Developing Economies to African Powerhouses. The findings emphasize the critical role of technology in boosting productivity, the importance of talent development through education and workforce integration, and the potential of sustainable tourism to drive transformation. This research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding Africa\u2019s structural transformation, offering actionable insights to address disparities and promote equitable development across the continent.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/economies13010021","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,15]],"date-time":"2025-01-15T05:59:42Z","timestamp":1736920782000},"page":"21","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Pathways to Progress: Unveiling Structural Change in Africa Through Economic Transformation, Technology, Talent, and Tourism"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8497-4798","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo","family":"Pinto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"CinTurs\u2014Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"CES\u2014Centre for Social Studies, Col\u00e9gio de S. Jer\u00f3nimo, 3000-995 Coimbra, Portugal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Evans","family":"Odoi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla","family":"Nogueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"},{"name":"CinTurs\u2014Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luiz Fernando C\u00e2mara","family":"Viana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Federal Institute of Bras\u00edlia, Bras\u00edlia 70830-450, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"801","DOI":"10.1108\/JFEP-08-2023-0234","article-title":"Financial globalization, governance and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"16","author":"Adjei","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Financial Economic Policy"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Tourism and economic development: A panel data analysis for island countries","volume":"36","author":"Brida","year":"2024","journal-title":"European Journal of Tourism Research"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"48166231219638","article-title":"Tourism and economic development: A literature review to highlight main empirical findings","volume":"135","author":"Segarra","year":"2023","journal-title":"Tourism Economics"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.egyr.2022.08.241","article-title":"Structural change and energy use in Ghana\u2019s manufacturing and agriculture sectors","volume":"8","author":"Amoako","year":"2022","journal-title":"Energy Reports"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5997","DOI":"10.3390\/heritage6090316","article-title":"Tourism competitiveness in Eastern Africa: RCA and TTCI","volume":"6","author":"Bacsi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heritage"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/S1096-7516(02)00161-6","article-title":"A review of factors that influence the diffusion of innovation when structuring a faculty training program","volume":"6","author":"Bennett","year":"2003","journal-title":"The Internet and Higher Education"},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Bhorat, H., Sign\u00e9, L., Asmal, Z., Monnakgotla, J., and Rooney, C. 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