Social Media and Communications:
This committee provides the membership with news, information, and updates about our organization through all communication avenues, including social media outlets. In conjunction with the president, the secretary, and the presidents of all AFEA standing committees, the committee is responsible for gathering and delivering electronic news on an ongoing basis to our membership. The committee chair will appoint social media managers for all of our social platforms from the committee’s membership.
The goal of the Social Media and Communications Committee is to keep AFEA membership fully informed on opportunities within AFEA, including, but not limited to, general developments that impact our organization and the economies of African countries, research and conference opportunities, professional development, permanent job and consulting opportunities amongst others. As a result, we hope members continue to be actively engaged and utilize appropriate resources to disseminate relevant information to our membership.
Assigned Duties
· Update AFEA website
· General Information to Members Via our Google Platform- Chair
· Facebook Platform Manager:
· Twitter Platform Manager:
· LinkedIn Platform Manager:
· Whatsapp Platform Manager:
Research and Conferences committee
A. Research Component
I. AFEA research profile
Africa, as the World, is changing. As African economists, our research questions, approaches, methods, and reporting need to reflect the ongoing changes and priorities facing African economies. As we advance, further considerations should be put on some of the following to enhance AFEA’s profile and the relevance of its research activities.
1. Papers selected for presentation at AFEA sponsored sessions at various conferences will be published in AFEA working papers. [already adopted]. In addition to the AFEA working paper series, there is a need for other abridged, policy targeted briefs, which will likely be between 5 and 7 pages.
2. There is a genuine willingness to work together to overcome information fragmentation on the state of research, reduce duplication, exploit synergies, and enhance AFEA’s research activities’ visibility. In this regard, as much as possible, future research should involve collaboration and work across boundaries – disciplinary, conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and international.
3. Whereas previous research and presentations at AFEA events have been mostly led by individual researchers’ own interests, as we advance, more synergies can be gathered by encouraging joint and policy-based research around some of the pressing issues highlighted by African policymakers. Perhaps, in the future, the Research Committee should formulate the research agenda and priorities after conducting a literature review, assessing priorities from the National Institute of Nursing Research and other nursing organizations, drafted a model, solicited feedback from AFEA members and Board of Directors.
4. Efforts must be made to attract distinguished non-academic guests (renowned business/developmental actors) as the keynote speaker at AFEA events to debate pressing matters facing the African region.
5. It is also crucial for AFEA to open opportunities to build partnerships with the private foundations in Africa. For instance, studies related to governance and institutions can be of high interest to Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Kofi Annan, or Mandela Foundation.
6. Partnerships with other regional/continental economic associations should be extended beyond AEA/ASSA. For instance, China’s rapidly growing economic interactions may dictate China Economic Association’s collaboration or the Chinese Economic Society.
7. AFEA’s annual conference in Africa should be scheduled every year, and preparing for this event should be co-managed by a team of members currently in Africa.
II. Research Grants (to be extended)
The following two sources provide a substantial amount of research grant, which is open to the participation of researchers out of Japan (although the representative of the project must be researchers residents of Japan)
1. JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) Research Grant – JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research provides financial support for creative and pioneering research projects with the potential to become the foundation of social development. The grant is provided by the Japan Ministry of Education, Sciences, and Technology (MEXT) through JSPS. Standard Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research has a budget that ranges from about US$50,000 to US$500,000 for a period of 3 to 5 years. The grant promotes creative/pioneering research conducted by one or a relatively small number of researchers.
Another category of the JSPS grant that may fit AFEA’s activities is the Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research, which supports a joint international research project conducted by Japan-based researchers and a researcher who belongs to overseas research institutions. There is a second component under this grant that promotes collaboration with overseas researchers through a Japanese researcher’s visit to her/his host collaborator’s institution overseas for a period of 6 to 12 months. The budget is up to US$200,000. Proposal submissions are generally open around August through October. They must be done at the designated research institutions and by the principal investigator (registered as such and with a valid researcher ID).
2. Toyota Foundation Research Grant – Toyota Foundation Research Grant is a private source. It empathizes specific themes each year. For instance, this year’s theme is “Exploring New Values for Society.” It mainly supports ambitious projects that adopt a panoramic view of the World and address difficult issues to be faced by future society. It also encourages research that covers topics of a global scale and that transcend generations. The length of the grant is two years, and the amount up to US$75,000. In principle, to be eligible, this grant requires submissions by a team of at least three researchers.
Project representatives must be 45 years old. Also, calls for papers are generally released in early September, and the submission deadline is around December. The submission can be made online and the principal investigator. (No researcher ID is required).
III. Review JAD publication fees
B. Conferences Component
1. Plan and execute at least two key conferences per year (ASSA conference in the US – January and the other in Africa – July)
2. Review and select abstracts and papers submitted for conferences
3. Prepare grant proposals and apply for grants (from individuals and organizations) to support conferences
4. Identify and invite Keynote speakers to the ASSA and Africa conferences