NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 27 –Hundreds of Economic Policy Researchers, Scholars, Public Policymakers, non-state actors and practising Economists are all set to participate in a Virtual Research Workshop hosted by the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) beginning this Monday.
AERC, the global economic affairs think tank headquartered in Nairobi and led by former Central Bank of Kenya Governor Professor Njuguna Ndung’u will be hosting its 55th Biannual Research Workshop Plenary Session virtually from Monday afternoon.
The 55th Plenary Session of the Biannual Research Workshop will explore the theme: Poverty, Growth, Redistribution and Social Inclusion in Times of Covid-19 Pandemic in Africa.
The AERC Executive Director Prof Ndungu said the plenary session beginning at 1500Hrs (GMT+3) on Monday, November 29, 2021, will be chaired by Professor of Economics at New York University (NYU) Prof Yaw Nyarko. Prof Nyarko, one of the most highly ranked African academic economists in the world, also serves as the Director of NYU Africa House, the Center for Technology and Economic Development (CTED), and the DevLab at NYU Abu Dhabi, as well as Co-Director of the Development Research Institute (DRI).
Kenya’s Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) Chairperson Dr Jane Kiringai will chair and lead a panel discussion session on public/private sector policy featuring distinguished panellists, including distinguished economists, private and public sector leaders from across the continent.
British Economist and Political Scientist, Professor James Robinson, of the University of Chicago Prof Ndung’u said, will deliver a Memorial Lecture on “Africa’s Latent Assets” in honour of the former Governor of the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) and renowned African Economist, the late Prof Benno Ndulu, “our Hero at AERC, in Africa and beyond”, who passed on earlier this year.
On the question of inequality as a barrier to economic and social growth, Prof Ndungu’ noted that delegates attending the conference will explore the question of whether or not inequalities pose a major obstacle to raising and sustaining a growth trajectory that will be instrumental to eradicating poverty in the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic impacted times.
“In both cases, the redistribution of income might achieve not only greater equality but also faster growth. We all know that poverty can dampen growth when market imperfections combine with other economic factors. On the other hand, income redistribution can lower poverty by reducing inequality if the process follows a good and sustainable path,” said Prof Ndung’u.
He added that “However, it may not accelerate growth in any major way, except perhaps by reducing social tensions arising from inequality. With the advent of Covid-19, the situation could be even worse, but perhaps the lessons learnt can foster a renewed inclination and energy on reforms and structural economic transformation. Poverty, growth, redistribution, and social inclusion in times of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Africa is one area of focus for the AERC capacity building and knowledge framework, which inspired the theme of the 55th Plenary Session of the AERC’s Biannual Research Workshop.”
The Plenary session will feature four presentations by distinguished economists. Dr Simone Schotte, UNWIDER, Research Fellow will start off the proceedings with a look at “The labor Market Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa”. This will be followed by the presentation on Poverty, Growth, Redistribution, and Social Inclusion in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa by Professor Germano Mwabu, University of Nairobi, Kenya. The next presentations will feature “COVID-19, Poverty and the Role of Social Protection Systems in Africa” by Dr Kibrom Abay, Country Program Leader and Research Fellow, IFPRI, and finally “The Interaction among Growth, Inequality and Poverty: Implications for Improving Covid-19 Pandemic Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa” by Erik Thorbecke, H.E. Babcock Professor of Economics Emeritus, Cornell University.
A public/private sector policy panel will follow the opening session featuring a distinguished panel that includes eminent economists, private and public sector leaders from across the continent:
Chair and Lead Panelist:
- Dr. Jane Kiringai, Chair, Commission on Revenue Allocation
Distinguished Panelists:
- Nnenna Nwabufo, Director General for East Africa, AfDB
- Jane Mariara, Professor of Economics and Executive Director of PEP
- Margaret Chitiga, Dean and Professor, University of Pretoria
- Clara Mira, Deputy Division Chief, Africa Region, IMF
Following the plenary session, AERC will host the Binannual Research Workshop Concurrent sessions from Tuesday, 30 November to Thursday, 2 December 2021, which will include five parallel Thematic Groups that cover the focal areas of AERC’s thematic research programme; the pilar for capacity building through research:
- Group A: Poverty, Labour Markets, and Income Distribution
- Group B: Macroeconomic Policy and Growth
- Group C: Finance and Resource Mobilization
- Group D: Production, Trade and Economic Integration
- Group E: Agriculture, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management
AERC’s Biannual Plenary attracts hundreds of researchers, academics, policy makers, non-state actors and economists, providing a forum for participants to interact with a worldwide network of professionals to discuss issues relevant to Africa’s economic development. They also provide an opportunity for monitoring the progress and quality of the various research projects sponsored by AERC, fulfilling one of our major mandates – to strengthen local capacity for conducting an independent, rigorous inquiry into problems facing the management of economies in sub-Saharan Africa.
