UGANDA
1. Macroeconomic outlook. The economy is recovering from shocks induced by the war in Ukraine and the Ebola outbreak, which affected tourism. Robust industrial activity and services have supported growth while unfavorable weather conditions for agriculture have improved. Inflation appears to have peaked. Thanks to a strong public health effort, the recent Ebola outbreak was declared concluded in January. The growth outlook is slightly more favorable in the near-term relative to the combined 2nd and 3rd reviews, while the end-2023 and FY23/24 inflation projections have been marked down. The current account deficit remains elevated and external financial conditions continue to be tight, reflecting the uncertain outlook for global financial conditions and risk sentiment. The global financial market turmoil that began in March could further tighten external financial conditions if it persists, and the conflict in Sudan could hurt exports and exert further pressure on the balance of payments.
I develop a model of firm-to-firm search and matching to show that the impact of falling trade costs on firm sourcing decisions and consumer welfare depends on the relative size of search externalities in domestic and international markets. These externalities can be positive if firms share information about potential matches, or negative if the market is congested. Using unique firm-to-firm transaction-level data from Uganda, I document empirical evidence consistent with positive externalities in international markets and negative externalities in domestic markets. I then build a dynamic quantitative version of the model and show that, in Uganda, a 25% reduction in trade costs led to a 3.7% increase in consumer welfare, 12% of which was due to search externalities.