Dr Nimrod Zalk

Dr Nimrod Zalk is Chief Research Officer: Climate and Economic Development at the University of Cape Town’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance. The Climate and Economic Development research programme focusses on climate-compatible African structural transformation, value chains, and the role of development banks. Particular focus areas are how African development banks (ADBs) can expand their balance sheets and enhance their capabilities to drive green structural transformation and sector opportunities for low carbon African industrialisation.

He is a development economist focused on green industrialisation and development finance in Africa. He has over 20 years’ experience in trade and industrial development research; policy formulation and implementation; and development finance. He served as a Deputy Director-General in the South African Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and as a non-executive Director of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa.

He holds an MSc and a PhD in Economics from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. He has authored a number of policy documents (notably South Africa’s National Industrial Policy Framework); academic publications; and opinion pieces. He is co-founder of the annual African Programme on Rethinking Development Economics (APORDE).

Working papers and policy publications
Zalk, N. (2026) Sectoral prioritisation and policy instruments for greening South Africa’s industrial policy. Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). Available at: https://www.tips.org.za/research-archive/sustainable-growth/item/5096-sectoral-prioritisation-and-policy-instruments-for-greening-south-africa-s-industrial-policy (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N. and Robb, N. (2026) How African development banks can mobilise resources for green structural transformation. Working paper. Cape Town: Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town. Available at: https://commerce.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/media/documents/commerce_uct_ac_za/470/nms-wp-african-development-banks-resource-mobilisation-final-compressed.pdf (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N. (2025) Greening South Africa’s industrial policy. Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). Available at: https://www.tips.org.za/research-archive/sustainable-growth/item/5006-greening-south-africa-s-industrial-policy (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N. (2024) Prospects for development and integration of African battery value chains. Africa Policy Research Institute. Available at: https://afripoli.org/prospects-for-development-and-integration-of-african-battery-value-chains (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N., Keane, J. and Nater, E. (2024) Greening African trade and industrialisation: Strategic issues for the AfCFTA towards COP29. ODI Policy Brief. London: ODI. Available at: https://odi.org/en/publications/greening-african-trade-and-industrialisation-strategic-issues-for-the-afcfta-towards-cop29 (Accessed: 2 October 2026).

Book chapters
Zalk, N. (2021) ‘Structural change in South Africa: A historical sectoral perspective’. In: Andreoni, A., Mondliwa, P., Roberts, S. and Tregenna, F. (eds.) Structural transformation in South Africa: The challenges of inclusive industrial development in a middle-income country. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 28–52. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192894311.003.0002 (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Whitfield, L. and Zalk, N. (2020) ‘Phases and uneven experiences in African industrial policy’. In: Oqubay, A., Cramer, C., Chang, H.-J. and Kozul-Wright, R. (eds.) The Oxford handbook of industrial policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 842–867. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198862420.013.32 (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N. (2014) ‘Industrial policy in a harsh climate: The case of South Africa’. In: Transforming economies: Making industrial policy work for growth, jobs and development. Geneva: International Labour Office and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Journal articles
Zalk, N. (2026, forthcoming) ‘Scaling African development banks for green structural transformation under the New African Financial Architecture for Development (NAFAD)’. Africa Growth Agenda.
Zalk, N. (2020) ‘Socio-economic transformation needs broad-based participation in the economy to benefit all’. New Agenda, 76, pp. 39–41. Special issue in memory of Ben Turok.
Zalk, N. (2016) ‘The imperative for productive and jobs-rich investment: South Africa’. New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy, 63, pp. 10–15.

Opinion pieces
Zalk, N. (2021) ‘How Africa should approach trade and industrialization’. Project Syndicate, 23 April. Available at: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/african-free-trade-area-ignores-limited-capacity-by-nimrod-zalk-1-2021-04 (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N. (2021) ‘Africa’s development banks: The urgent need for scale’. LSE Business Review, 17 November. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2021/11/17/africas-development-banks-the-urgent-need-for-scale/ (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
Zalk, N. (2019) ‘Hiding in plain sight: High-value agriculture’s large-scale potential to grow jobs and exports’. econ3x3. Available at: https://www.econ3x3.org/article/hiding-plain-sight-high-value-agriculture%E2%80%99s-large-scale-potential-grow-jobs-and-exports (Accessed: 2 October 2026).