About
Inas El Aidi is a researcher in development economics and industrial policy at FLIA, where she serves as the Project Researcher and Coordinator for the project “Retrospective and Prospective Growth: A New Assessment of Africa’s Growth Dynamics.” Her research examines the drivers of economic growth across African countries and develops forward-looking growth scenarios.
Drawing on an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a Master’s in International Development from Sciences Po Paris, Inas combines quantitative analysis with political economy approaches to examine pathways towards sustainable and inclusive growth. Her work has contributed to research on the geopolitical restructuring of global value chains, including Africa’s automotive industry with a focus on Morocco, as well as on green industrial policy, extractive sectors, and the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in supporting industrial transformation.
Her broader experience spans development finance, urban development, the water–energy–food nexus, gender, and displacement. She is particularly interested in how African economies can leverage their natural resources, productive capabilities, and human capital to accelerate green industrialization and build more resilient growth models.
Region of interest: Africa and West Asia
Expertise: Development Economics | Industrial Policy and Trade | Structural Transformation | Growth Dynamics
Publications:
Kolongo, A. and El-Aidi, I. (2025) Morocco is future proofing its car industry with green innovation. LSE Africa at LSE Blog.
Luke, D., El Aidi, I. and Pasara, M. (2026) ‘The role of African champions in the mining and extractive sectors’, in Jaïdi, L. (ed.) Annual Report on the African Economy 2026. Rabat: Policy Center for the New South.
Mendez-Parra, M., Agarwal, P., Luke, D., Vutula, N., El- Aidi, I., Parshotam, A., Iacovou, E. and Chapman, F. (2025) Impact of geopolitical dynamics on global trade: the case of the African automotives sector. ODI Global report. London: ODI Global.