Annual Conference of the African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA) and Department of Economics, University of Ghana​

Annual Conference of the African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA) and Department of Economics, University of Ghana

CALL FOR PAPERS

 July 16-18, 2024 (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

Building resilient economies in Africa is crucial for sustainable development and inclusive economic growth. Achieving the latter requires the implementation of targeted strategies and innovative solutions that prioritize the creation of economic opportunities that benefit all members of society, especially those who are most vulnerable. Innovations and strategies are essential to promote inclusive growth, which involves ensuring that economic opportunities benefit all members of society, particularly the most vulnerable. Some of the innovations and strategies that can be employed include investment in infrastructure, education, and healthcare, as well as promoting entrepreneurship. Access to finance and technology can also play a vital role in creating economic opportunities and reducing poverty. Building resilience also involves creating an enabling environment for private sector development and reducing dependence on natural resources. Additionally, African governments development stakeholders can work with international partners to partner in promoting trade and investment, improve access to markets, and support regional economic integration. By developing robust economies that prioritize inclusive growth and sustainable development, Africa can unleash the full potential of its people, tap into their ingenuity, and achieve long-term prosperity for all its citizens. By building resilient economies that promote inclusive growth and development, Africa can unlock its full potential and achieve sustainable prosperity for all its people.

To help strengthen African economies by building resilient and inclusive growth, the African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA), in association with the Department of Economics, School of Social Science, College of Humanities at University of Ghana, Accra are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for the Annual Conference of the African Finance and Economic Association. The meeting will take place at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana on 16 to 18 July 2024. The broad theme and sub-themes for the conference, as well as important dates for submission of abstracts, are found below.

Papers on all aspects of African economic growth and development are welcome, but preference will be given to those that pertain to the conference theme. Abstracts no longer than 500 words should be submitted to submission link here no later than 31 January 2024. This submission deadline has been extended to 14 February 2024. Upon acceptance all participants must register for the conference. Some funding might be available for graduate students from Africa. If applicable, please indicate the need for funding in your submission.

Please direct questions to afea_ug_conference@afea1.org.

CONFERENCE DETAILS31

“Strengthening African Economies: Targeted Innovations and Strategies for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development”

Infrastructure for Growth and Development
1. Digitalization and Technological Innovation in Africa
2. Infrastructure and Improving Access to Basic Services
3. Digital transformation and innovation for economic resilience in Africa
4. Infrastructure deficits
5. Energy Access, Transition to Clean Energy, and Growth and Development

Human Capital, Skills, and Growth
1. Human Capital and Growth
2. Human Capital Development and Skills Training
3. Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
4. Artificial intelligence and labor market transformation
5. Youth Employment and Unemployment Challenges

Regional integration, Trade, and Regional Value Chain
1. International Trade and Economic Growth
2. Regional Integration and Trade
3. Patterns of the regional value chain
4. Challenges of Regional Value Chains in Africa

Finance, Institutions, and Resource mobilization
1. Banking and Financial Inclusion
2. Financial systems and expanding access to finance in Africa
3. Innovative Financing Models for Development in Africa
4. Resilient and Inclusive Financial Systems
5. Governance and corruption reduction
6. Natural resources for sustainable economic growth
7. Diaspora Resources for Economic Development.
8. Entrepreneurship and SME Development
9. Entrepreneurship and private sector development

Crisis, Climate Change, and Resilience issues
1. COVID-19 and its related effects
2. Post-Crisis Recovery and Reconstruction
3. Climate change and green growth
4. Climate Change & Challenges of Sustainability
5. Social, Economic, and Climate Resilience
6. Innovations amidst of COVID-19 crisis

 

Abstract Submission opens: December 1, 2023
Submission Deadline Extended to: February 14, 2024
(The submission form is available here: https://afea1.org/aefa-session-submission-2024)
Paper Status Notification: February 29, 2024

Early Registration: March 15, 2024 to June 1, 2024
Submission deadline for accepted full papers: May 31, 2024

 

For any proposal or full paper to be considered, the first page MUST provide the following:  

  1. A title of the proposal/paper.
  2.  A concise abstract of no more than 500 words summarizing the paper’s objective, methodology, (if empirical paper; data and sampling period), key preliminary results, and contribution to literature. 
  3. Primary & two secondary JEL classification codes that best describe the paper.  
  4. Contact information (especially emails) and affiliations of ALL contributing authors.
  5. Upon acceptance all participants must register for the conference. 
  6. The submission form is available here.

Professor Ernest Aryeetey: 

Prof. Aryeetey, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana is currently the Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and the Board Chair of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). In addition, Prof Aryeetey serves as a member of the Governing Board of the Centre for Development Research at the University of Bonn. Prior to his appointment as Vice-Chancellor, he was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C and the Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, Legon, for the period February 2003 – January 2010. Recently, he was a “Director at Large” on the AERC Board.

Ernest Aryeetey was appointed a member of the Governing Council of the United Nations University by the U.N. Secretary‐General Ban Ki-moon and Director-General Irina Bokova of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in April 2016, after serving as the chairman of the Board of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UN-WIDER), Helsinki between 2009-2015. Ernest also served as a Member of the Board of the Global Development Network (GDN) (2004-2009) and until April 2019, he was the Board Chair of Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) in Nairobi, Kenya. He was also as a Board member of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited.

Professor Aryeetey studied Economics at University of Ghana and then undertook graduate studies at the Universitaet Dortmund, Germany completing his PhD in 1985. In July 2017, he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Sussex, UK, for his contribution to the study of African economies and higher education transformation in Africa. The University of Ghana in 2023 also conferred on him a degree. Doctor of Laws honoris causa for his exemplary leadership and for overseeing the University’s transformation into a research-intensive university in Africa.

Professor Augustine Fosu:

  • Professor, University of Ghana, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic
    Research (ISSER)
  • Former Director in Charge UNU- WIDER,
  • Former director of research, African Economic Research Consortium
  • Former Director, Economic and Social Policy Division of the U.N. Economic
    Commission for Africa

Professor Fosu also holds several other (honorary) appointments, including Extraordinary Professor, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Research Associate (BWPI), University of Manchester, U.K.; and Research Associate (CSAE), University of Oxford, U.K. Previously. He was Deputy Director of the United Nations University-WIDER, Helsinki; Senior Policy Advisor/Chief Economist of U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa; and Director of Research, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Nairobi. He holds a master’s and a Ph.D. in economics from Northwestern University, USA, and a bachelor’s with distinction in mathematics and economics from Lawrence University, USA. Among his editorial appointments, for instance, are Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of African Trade (Elsevier Sciences), Co-editor of the Journal of African Economies (Oxford), and membership on editorial boards of many other journals (current or recent), including Journal of Development Studies, Oxford Development Studies, World Bank Economic Review, and World Development. Prof. Fosu has published extensively, with specific sources ranking him among ‘top economists’: e.g., ‘top 8 percent of authors’ globally, and 2nd in Africa: http://ideas.repec.org/top/top.africa.html#authors (website accessed on February 9th, 2016). Locally he, among other things, served on the President’s Economic Advisory Council in 2012.