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1. Policy Briefs Concise summaries that present research findings and policy recommendations on key economic issues to inform policymakers and stakeholders.2. Research Papers In-depth studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of economic theories and empirical research, contributing to academic discourse and understanding.3. Working Papers Preliminary reports on ongoing research that are circulated to encourage discussion and suggestions for revision before final publication.4. Theses and Dissertations: CPP Thesis: Rigorous academic research focused on pertinent policy issues, typically by candidates of the Collaborative PhD Program. CMAP Thesis: Scholarly works by Master's candidates involved in the Collaborative Master's in Economics Program, showcasing original research in the Economics sector. CMAAE Thesis: Advanced research endeavors by Master's students under the Collaborative Master's in Agricultural and Applied Economics, contributing to knowledge in agricultural economics and related fields CMAAE Thesis5. Senior Policy Seminar papers African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) holds a Senior Policy Seminar annually. This conference is hosted by AERC and sometimes jointly with a partner. AERC convenes this forum to provide high level African policy makers the opportunity to come together to dialogue on the results of research conducted by AERC and its affiliates, exchange policy experiences and interact with the researchers in an atmosphere of peers. The themes of these seminars are selected on the basis of topicality and contemporary interest to African policy making.6. Other Publications A diverse range of documents including, but not limited to, conference papers, book chapters, and research updates that do not fall under the conventional categories.
Recent Submissions
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GVCPs in Zimbabwe's Critical Sectors in the Face of Environmental Pollution and Climate Change: The Case of Agriculture and Mining Sectors
(AERC, 2024-11-27) Dube, Benhilda; Nyika, Teresa; Pasara, Michael Takudzwa
This study analyses global value chain participation (GVCP) in Zimbabwe's two critical sectors of agriculture and mining in the face of environmental pollution and climate change. Mining and agriculture are Zimbabwe's largest export sectors by value, and the later plays a critical role towards food security. However, the two sectors have potential conflicting interests on land as well as environmental pollution. The study employs the Auto Regressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) and ARDL-EC (error correction), to analyse short-run and long-run relationships. The results indicate that, in the short run, lagged GVCP agriculture exerts positive pressure on GVCPagriculture by 0.66% while, climate change (droughts) and pollution (CO2 emissions) exert negative pressure on GVCP agriculture at 5% and 1% level of significance, respectively. However, GVCP mining and population growth did not significantly reduce GVCP agriculture. Moreover, GVCP mining and population growth increase transport CO2 emissions both in the short run and long run at 5% and 1% level, respectively. Thus, mining is not environmentally neutral. In the long run, interaction between population growth and mining rents reduce transport CO2 levels at 5% level. The study recommends government to raise mineral taxes for those participating in mining and use the revenues to subsidise the agriculture sector. In the agriculture sector, government can remove import tax on agriculture equipment such irrigation equipment as well as the removal of other restrictions including opening up grain price to market forces to increase quality and level of participation. The government should continue enacting and enforcing policies which minimize pollution, such as limits on carbon emissions.
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Assessing the Drivers of Firm Participation in Global Value Chains: Empirical Evidence from Tanzania
(AERC, 2024-11-27) Kweka, Josaphat; Sooi, Fadhili
Using firm-level data from the recently available Tanzania Enterprise Survey (TES) 2022, this paper provides empirical analysis of drivers of firm participation in global value chains (GVCs), and implication of such participation on firm performance in Tanzania. The findings show that, firm size, awareness of external markets, investment in Research and Development (RandD), and engagement in innovation and technology upgrading are significant drivers of firm participation in GVCs for Tanzania. The paper confirms the widely acclaimed conclusions in the literature that firm participation in GVCs is positively and significantly associated with higher firm performance. However, despite the positive role of GVC, the extent of firm participation appears low for Tanzania, mainly on account of low level of capacity of often small and informal firms. The findings underscore the need to increase government's efforts to improve environment and incentive for small firms to formalize and grow. The results are also supportive of the need for policy to promote regional integration, investment in RandD, innovation, and technology upgrading.
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Factors that Influence Global Value Chains: Evidence from the Manufacturing Sector in Kenya
(AERC, 2024-11-27) Kinuthia, Bethuel Kinyanjui
This study investigates the determinants of GVCs participation among manufacturing firms in Kenya. Using the propensity matching method and firm-level cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) for the period 2007‒2018, the analysis identifies key determinants across the entire manufacturing sector. These determinants are labour productivity, foreign ownership, firm size, website presence, generator use, and transport costs. Additional factors depend on the specific GVC definition applied. The study also reveals that smaller and female owned firms are more susceptible to business environment factors such as security, corruption, and competition with the informal sector compared to larger and male owned counterparts. Furthermore, the study examines factors that influence GVCs participation in the food and chemical sectors, highlighting sector-specific factors which can result in tailored policy recommendations.
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Global Value Chain Participation of Firms in West Africa: Empirical Insights from Ghana and Nigeria
(AERC, 2024-11-27) Osabuohien, Evans S.; Karakara, Alhassan Abdul-Wakeel; Edafe, Oluwatosin D.
Global value chains (GVC) have become an important developmental issue. However, empirical studies on the peculiar nature of the GVC participation of firms are sparse, especially in West Africa. Thus, this study empirically examines the factors that constitute the major drivers of firm GVC participation and the institutional obstacles to firm GVC participation. The study discusses how such factors could be surmounted. We use the logit model as the empirical strategy and the World Bank's Enterprise Survey (ES) database for two biggest West African countries: Ghana and Nigeria. The findings show that firms in West Africa face constraints that militate against their participation in GVC. Also, we find crucial factors that can influence firms’ participation in GVC, which differ relatively between Ghana and Nigeria. In essence, medium and large-scale firms have higher likelihood to participate in GVC than small-scale firms. Similarly, the legal status of the firm helps in enhancing the firms’ participation in GVC, as firms that are shareholding or partnership firms are more likely to participate in GVC than sole proprietorship firms. Also, firm location serves as an advantage to the firm GVC participation, as firms in cities with a human population of over one million are more likely to be engaged in GVC. The finding of the study is relevant to industry players and firms, particularly on the mode of participation in GVC and in helping policy makers in creating a favourable policy ambience for GVC participation of firms, which could enhance corporate relations among domestic firms and international players to spur firms’ productivity and participation in GVC.
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Assessing the Role of Innovation in Cameroonian Firms’ Participation in Global Value Chains
(AERC, 2024-11-27) Malah-Kuete, Flora Yselle; Avom, Desire
This study aims to contribute to the empirical literature on the drivers of Cameroonian firms’ participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) by examining the role of innovation. We use logistic regressions and matching techniques to analyse pooled cross-sectional data from the 2008 and 2016 Cameroonian Enterprise Censuses. Our findings indicate that investments in innovation, particularly in machinery and equipment, as well as software and technology, significantly enhance the probability of Cameroonian firms participating in GVCs through subsidiary ties with foreign firms. Building upon these results, we discuss the implications of promoting innovation and making strategic investments in critical sectors of the economy to facilitate greater engagement of local firms in GVCs.
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Job Impacts of Global Value Chains: Firm-Level Evidence from Cameroon
(AERC, 2024-11-27) Njikam, Ousmanou
Today, almost 50% of the world trade involves Global Value Chains (GVCs). New technologies entering GVCs participating firms’ exports are skill-biased and understanding the job implications in African countries endowed with unskilled workers is vital. Using firm-level panel data in Cameroon, this paper analyses whether GVCs’ integration and position have contributed to job generation and explores whether firm characteristics such as capital and skill intensity of production influence the GVCs-job relationship. I estimate dynamic labour demand functions for skilled and unskilled workers including sector-level GVCs and their interactions with firm characteristics. GVCs integration and position have no significant impact on any type of job. However, examination of moderator effects yields important results: while forward GVCs and GVCs position hurt both (un)skilled workers in less capital- and skill-intensive firms, backward GVCs have a significantly positive impact on (un)skilled jobs in more capital- and skill-intensive firms, and GVCs participation enhances only unskilled jobs in more capital-intensive firms. The findings are robust to the disaggregation of sectors into manufacturing vs services, high- vs low-GVCs participation, and upstream vs downstream industries and highlight the role of human capital in influencing the GVCs-job nexus in African economies.
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Potential for Africa Continental Free Trade Area to Increase East African Community Exports to Africa
(AERC, 2024) Zgovu, Evious; Morrissey, Oliver
This paper provides estimates of the potential for East African Community (EAC) member countries to increase exports to the rest of Africa as the other countries reduce tariffs under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), using a simple approach to identify the markets (countries) and products most likely to benefit considering only growth of existing imports from the EAC. The assumption is that EAC member countries have evident export capacity in such products and markets, and that these products are unlikely to be excluded from liberalization by importing countries. The results suggest that the EAC could expand exports overall by 10-15%, largely concentrated in relatively close countries, and agriculture and resource-based products, but with basic manufactures. Relatively distant markets in North and West Africa offer reasonable potential to EAC countries, except Rwanda (concentrated on the Democratic Republic of Congo - DRC) and Tanzania (concentrated on Southern Africa). The EAC can anticipate moderate gains from AfCFTA and, by identifying the markets and products most likely to be affected, the study provides a guide to policy makers in EAC countries on sectors to target in supporting exports, including products that could target new distant markets (that include some basic manufactures). Textiles and apparel offer the best potential to engage in regional value chains.
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Approximating the First order Effects of AfCFTA Tariff Reductions on CO2 Emissions
(AERC, 2024) De Melo, Jaime; Solleder, Jean-Marc
This paper explores the likely effects of tariff reductions under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It proceeds in three steps, with all estimates relying on the most recent, i.e. 2015, disaggregated data on emissions intensities. First, we show that, across African countries, CO2 intensities are higher in the more protected sectors, so that, at unchanged emission intensities, tariff elimination on intra-African trade during AfCFTA should favour CO2 intensive activities. Second, for the EAC and ECOWAS, the two RECs for which AfCFTA-compliant tariff reduction schedules are available, we estimate that removing tariffs on goods in the tariff elimination list would reduce progressively the carbon intensity of trade for these goods. The estimates suggest that an increase of 1% of the emission intensity is associated with a decrease of about 0.09% of the MFN tariff. Third, to see which effect will dominate, we estimate partial equilibrium effects of ‘full’ tariff elimination under AfCFTA and find that intra-African trade would increase by 32% and emissions embedded in trade by 24%, implying a CO2 elasticity to trade of 0.74, thus, reducing the CO2 emission intensity of Intra-African trade.
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AERC Annual Report 2023/2024
(AERC, 2024) AERC
The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is currently in the fourth year of its strategic period, 2020-2025, having completed over half of the five-year planning phase. The year 2023/24 also marks the 35th year since AERC was established in 1988. The Consortium has emerged as a premier institution for capacity-building in the advancement of research and graduate training in economics. It plays a pivotal role in informing economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2020-2025 strategy is anchored on three key themes of improving quality. This improved quality will ensure its own sustainability and working with regional and national think tanks will develop an effective platform for expanding influence. These three themes provide a new and coherent structure for how research, training, and policy engagement will address the capacity-building issues in the five-year planning cycle.
Over the last four fiscal years of implementation of the AERC Strategic Plan 2020-2025, significant achievements have been realised towards improving quality, impactful research and graduate training. Several new collaborative research projects have been initiated, hence providing a range of timely research themes for early career researchers. In the training programme, the development of online teaching materials and virtual delivery of the Joint Facility for Electives (JFE) and the Shared Facility for Specialised and Electives (SFSE) through the AERC Learning Management System (LMS), complemented by the AERC e-Library, has not only enhanced cost-effectiveness, but also broadened reach and standardised the teaching of elective courses across the network universities. The AERC procured Class Zoom Technology to enhance instruction and improve learner engagement; additionally, the consortium acquired Copyleaks Plagiarism and AI Content Detector (including ChatGPT), and Zumedi examination proctoring facilities, for enhanced examination integrity. There has been a deliberate effort towards enhancing inclusivity by gender and regionally in both research and training programmes. Technical training on mainstreaming gender into research and several affirmative actions have been taken to enhance women’s participation in both research and graduate training.
However, these achievements have not been without challenges. A decline in funding continued to be experienced as current and potential funding institutions adjusted their funding commitments in response to the continuous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukrain conflict. Additionally, due to political changes, some funding governments shifted their foreign policy and funding priorities. Furthermore, the funding environment continued to be one where funders preferred project funding to core funding. Thus, AERC will direct more efforts to go towards diversifying the resource base as well as designing all programmatic activities to make them increasingly attractive and cost effective in implementation.
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AERC Annual Report 2022/2023
(AERC, 2023) AERC
The 2022/2023 fiscal year marks 34 years since the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) was established as a premier capacity building network in the advancement of research and graduate training in economics to inform economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The AERC began the year with great enthusiasm to accelerate the pace of activities, especially with it being the third year of the 2020-2025 strategic period. The AERC Strategic Plan 2020-2025 is anchored on three key themes of improving quality that will create its momentum for sustainability and expanding policy influence. Each of these three themes provide a new and dynamic structure for how research, training and policy engagement will address the capacity building developments and the emerging constraints over the five-year planning cycle. Additionally, the strategy seeks to respond to pressing issues facing the region – increasing youth unemployment, widening inequality and persistent poverty - as stated by Ernest Aryeetey and Frances Stewart in the 2015-2020 AERC Strategic Evaluation Report. The AERC has had great achievements in the last 34 years by bringing rigour and evidence to policy making. However, it is imperative to change the delivery along the research and policy value chain by opening up to new approaches to enhance relevance, building upon the unique convening power of the organisation and scaling up AERC’s services to support policymakers in their efforts to build a stronger economic foundation and future, both nationally and regionally. By becoming a valued partner and encouraging other interested institutions and organisations to join up, the AERC is expanding capacity for economic policy making across the region as well as policy impact for positive development outcomes in SSA economies. While implementing the 2020-2025 strategy, the AERC has adopted a new approach for capacity building, which has fundamentally changed its operations by moving from an objectives-based approach to a theme-based approach and focused on outcomes and impact measurement in both the short and long-term.
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AERC Annual Report 2020/2021
(AERC, 2021) AERC
The year 2020/21 marks the first year of implementation of the AERC Strategic Plan for 2020-2025, which was approved by the AERC Board at its meeting in March 2020. It also marks 33 years since the AERC was established as a premier capacity building institution through research and graduate training in economics. The main objective being to inform economic policies and strengthen institutions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
The 2020-2025 planning cycle recognizes the changing policy landscape and attendant economic challenges; effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged the health care infrastructure, increasing youth unemployment, widening inequality, and rising poverty. Some of these challenges were well stated by Ernest Aryeetey and Frances Stewart in the 2015-2020 AERC Strategic Evaluation Report. The AERC has had great achievements in the last three decades in bringing rigour and evidence to policy making in SSA. Going forward, the AERC is changing the modality of delivery along the research and policy value chain. This includes opening new approaches to enhance relevance, building upon the unique convening power of the organization and scaling up AERC’s services to support policymakers in their efforts to build a stronger economic foundation for SSA economies. By becoming a valued partner and encouraging other like-minded institutions and organizations to join in partnership, the AERC will expand capacity for economic policy making across the region as well as policy impact for positive development outcomes in SSA economies. In implementing the Strategic Plan 2020- 2025, AERC will enhance the mark of improved quality, that will define its own momentum for sustainability and create a new era and platform for policy influence in SSA economies. This is the new approach that AERC has adopted for capacity building in the current planning cycle. This approach will fundamentally change the way AERC operates, moving from an objectives-based approach to a theme-based approach, and focusing on outcome pathways and impact measurement, in both the short- and long-term periods.
The core of AERC’s efforts to improve the quality of thematic research will be driven by the collaborative research model. In this case, Resource Persons will develop collaborative research projects that will attract young researchers across Thematic Groups and this path will raise the quality of research in Thematic Groups and provide a supply of research themes for young researchers, including the Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP) students. Teams of researchers will evolve from individual thematic research projects, prescreening of new proposals by thematic group resource persons, and methodological technical workshops and mentorships will be conducted to enhance analytical skills of early career researchers.
Quality improvement in the training programme will involve reviewing the curriculum of all core and elective courses and adopting digital learning in all collaborative training programmes. Reforms in CPP thesis research are also envisaged to advance novel ideas that are well articulated with scientific evidence to influence policy and increase the number of publications by CPP students in internationally refereed journals. A cohort of new professors/lecturers of high academic calibre within network universities and other reputable institutions will be appointed to ensure high quality level training in line with the quality target research defined by AERC and ensuring that the training meet the skills needs for African labour market as well as supply of researchers for the AERC network. At the same time, the training targeting government officials on the continent in the design and evaluation of policies will be considered a priority to facilitate the emergence of sustainable economic policies and the promotion of quality governance.
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AERC Annual Report 2019/2020
(AERC, 2020) AERC
The year 2019/2020 marks the fifth and final year of implementation of the 2015–2020 Strategic Plan. The focus in this final year was to ensure all the targets in the strategy were achieved. This report covers the year 2019/2020 from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. AERC’s efforts to raise the quality of thematic research papers has started with restructuring of the incentive mechanism and efforts to improve the research administration and management process. This is where most of the pitfalls lie, as well as with internal capacity on the research management process. The improvements will also enhance the participation in research activities of researchers from fragile and post-conflict states, building on the Bridge Programme that has taken shape so far with the help of funds from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The Training Programme continued to monitor the following collaborative graduate programmes: Collaborative Masters Programme (CMAP); Collaborative Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics (CMAAE); and the Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP). What is at stake now is the upgrading of the training curricular in its entirety to reflect the frontier of economic teaching and knowledge base. This will be taken up in the next planning cycle to ensure that in future the Academic Advisory Board (AAB) can efficiently monitor and advise on programmatic activities and the delivery/pedagogy mechanism of the Training Programme.
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AERC Annual Report 2018/2019
(2019) AERC
The following Annual Report encapsulates the impact and achievements we have made over the last year as we endeavor to support policy makers and researchers through the continued, rapid transformation and economic development of the region. Fiscal year 2018-2019 was a pivotal time period for AERC as it marked our 30th anniversary of bringing rigour and evidence to economic policy making in sub-Saharan Africa. We made a number of particularly notable achievements. Major projects that we recently embarked on are progressing very well and many new opportunities are opening up for our programmes. Among AERC’s key delivery channels for achieving the desired outcomes are the thematic research programmes centred around the enduring Biannual Research Workshops and capacity building activities, Joint/Shared Facilities for graduate training Electives, Africa-wide Senior Policy Seminars, Regional Policy Forums and National Policy Workshops. Implementation of the Bridge Programme for inclusive capacity building is making notable progress in addressing the under represented due to factors like gender, language, conflict and post conflict as well as fragile contexts. These are all on course as we look forward to a very exciting future. Informed by the evolving needs and current development imperatives in Africa, our current strategy focuses on inclusivity and enhanced visibility for policy impact, alongside the promotion of African stakeholdership for the long-term sustainability of AERC. We have here provided some of our key achievements over the last year within our defined strategic objectives.
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AERC Annual Report 2016/2017
(2017) AERC
The year 2016/2017 marks the second year of the implementation of the Strategic Plan, 2015-2020. The Strategy, which was approved by the Board at its meeting in March 2015, is contextualized within the evolving African economic environment and challenges. About thirty years since its establishment, AERC has fostered an enduring, integrated capacity building framework anchored in three pillars: research, collaborative graduate training and policy outreach, complemented by a vast network of institutions, researchers, resource persons, and policy makers. This is its primary niche. This niche has enabled AERC to address the gap between research and policy making, while contributing towards sustainable individual and institutional capacity building.
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AERC Annual Report 2014/2015
(AERC, 2015) AERC
The current fiscal year marked a significant period for AERC as the Consortium entered the final year of the strategy period 2010–2015. It provided an opportunity to take stock of our achievements and to continue to restructure in a bid to achieve the goals we set in the strategic plan. The year also witnessed remarkable efforts channelled towards developing the AERC Strategic Plan 2015–2020. During this period, efforts were geared towards broadening our geographical outreach and increasing the participation of women in AERC research and training activities in line with the current strategy’s ambitions to increase the presence of under-represented countries and groups. The annual Senior Policy Seminar and the 2014 Biannual Research Workshops were successfully convened. The June 2014 biannual workshop was held in Accra, Ghana, from 1 to 5 June 2014 with a total of 93 researchers – of whom 20 were Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP) students – in attendance. In total, there were 16 female participants. The December 2014 biannual workshop was held from 30 November to 4 December 2014 in Lusaka, Zambia, with a total of 91 researchers (of whom 12 were CPP students). There were 13 women (15%) among the participants. Plenary sessions marking the beginning of the biannual research workshops are renowned vehicles for updating researchers and policy makers on frontier topics in the economics discipline—with a bearing on economic development in Africa. The 39th Plenary Session of the biannual research workshop on Public Finance: Tax and Expenditure Reforms in Africa was officially opened by Dr. Henry A.W. Wampah.
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AERC Annual Report 2015/2016
(2016) AERC
The year 2015/16 marks the first year of the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2015-2020. The Strategy, which was approved by the Board at its meeting in March 2015, is contextualized within the evolving African economic environment and challenges. More than 25 years since its establishment, AERC has fostered an enduring, integrated capacity building framework anchored in three pillars: research, collaborative graduate training and policy outreach. These are complemented by a vast network of institutions, researchers, resource persons, and policy makers. Today, the economic environment in Africa has greatly changed for the better, and growth is robust, resilient and generally diversified. This can be attributed to improved capacity for economic policy analysis in the continent, better policies and a new breed of policy makers, who are evidence driven. Many of these policy makers are alumni of AERC. The novel features of the current strategy are inclusive capacity building and quality enhancement, global linkages and private sector engagement, enhanced visibility and policy impact, and promoting African stakeholder-ship and long-term sustainability of AERC.
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AERC Insight_Issue 09_October 2024
(AERC, 2024) AERC
We are enthusiastic to share with you some exciting updates and news from the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). We are back with another edition themed “Strengthening Partnerships: Collaborating for Sustainable Development in Africa,” packed with all the latest news and insights. In this issue, we share a lot of material including the forthcoming and past AERC Biannual Research Works; the latter on “Youth Demographic Dividend, Migration, and Economic Opportunities in African Economies” was key in tackling the complex and challenging issues relating to education and job creation for the youth, women and the most vulnerable. This was also an opportunity for AERC to reaffirm its commitment to providing evidence-based research for uptake into policy to reduce the huge unemployment gap across the continent. We have been busy re-establishing strong connections and raising the institution’s profile across international DFIs, policymakers, the private sector and global development partners. This new visibility and strategic relationship drive includes AERC’s courtesy call to the Governor, Central Bank of Kenya and also a call on the Kenya Bankers Association; participation in the 2024 African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings and the Annual General Meetings of the Eastern and Southern Africa Trade and Development Bank (TDB) amongst other events as you will see in this edition. Embarking on a new creative and impactful journey like this is never easy. Our latest newsletter will bring you face-to-face with a depiction of a bestselling periodical, while also immersing you into the vital gender mainstreaming agenda at AERC. You will all receive this publication once every quarter as you discover the magic and impact that the AERC achievements bring to the life of citizens across the continent, as the organization marks its thirty-sixth anniversary. In these over three decades of accomplishments, AERC has built a solid core of highly credible research that has enhanced the professional stature of our network both locally and internationally – as we focused our attention on issues critical to Africa’s development.
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AERC Insight_Issue 08_May 2024
(AERC, 2024) AERC
Gender mainstreaming is at the heart of the African Economic Research Consortium’s (AERC) activities. Despite progress made in recent years, gender inequalities persist in various domains within the consortium. Gender mainstreaming at AERC begins by acknowledging that women encounter barriers when pursuing and maintaining careers in economics. These obstacles can manifest as conflicts between domestic duties, professional aspirations, and financial constraints. At AERC, we are dedicated to providing equal opportunities for women to prevent them from being disproportionately affected compared to men. There is a growing willingness within the organisation to “mainstream” concerns about academic gendered impacts in our research and training programmes, as evidenced notably by the adoption of policies that are geared towards women’s empowerment. Gender is the main theme of this newsletter and gender mainstreaming is clearly essential for securing social justice for women. As these efforts to mainstream gender get traction at AERC, it is important to assess ways that existing provisions on gender help or hinder the achievement of gender equality. In this newsletter, we endeavour to define some of the metrics against which to gauge whether some of our policies are meeting gender equality objectives. The stories published here will enable us to identify and suggest ways to design gender-responsive measures for inclusion in future programmes. This issue of the AERC INSIGHT also encapsulates events, including workshops, conferences, and seminars, which provide you with a taste of AERC’s outputs. On events, we feature the AERC Biannual Research Workshop and Celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD). There is also a section on programme activities and human resource news. I look forward to connecting with you each quarter. Please read this AERC INSIGHT and share it with your friends. I welcome any feedback, comments and questions that you may have about the information provided therein and suggestions of topics you would like to see in future newsletters.
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AERC Insight_Issue 07_November 2023
(2023) AERC
In this edition, we are keen to share news on the AERC Biannual Research Workshop, a flagship event whose plenary attracts over 300 researchers, academics, policymakers, non-state actors and economists. The event provides a forum for participants to interact with a global network of professionals to discuss issues relevant to Africa’s economic development. Other stories featured include AERC thematic and collaborative research projects, training activities, including joint facilities for electives, events AERC is featured in, like the exciting session at the Third Edition of the African Conference on Debt and Development (AfCoDD III), new publications as well as success stories from esteemed members of the AERC network family. We also present in this edition inspiring stories about our alumni network members. These are fellows who have benefited from the AERC capacitybuilding programmes, Dear Readers, As a member of the AERC community, we are thrilled to welcome you to the latest issue of our newsletter. As the AERC continues to deliver on its mandate across the continent by creating an innovative blend of research, training, and policy outreach activities, it remains a priority for the secretariat to update all its stakeholders on the latest stories, reports, studies, publications, and testimonials. In this regard, we feature Christian Mwemezi’s personal experience during his Collaborative Master’s Programme (CMAP) at the University of Ghana. As the end of the year is fast approaching, the AERC is already embarking on a major overhaul of its operations to remain relevant and move with the times. This has been one of my priorities as the interim executive director. It includes a more innovative resource mobilisation strategy, a more customer-oriented operations strategy and a more inclusive talent management structure within the secretariat and the network. As thedigital revolution is in full swing across the continent, you will find through our articles, how the AERC training and research programmes have evolved to ensure that our researchers and students remain in touch with the latest trends across the industry.
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AERC Insight_Issue 06_June 2023
(AERC, 2023) AERC
We are excited to share some thrilling updates and news from our organization. It’s a pretty exciting moment for me, and the edition is packed with all the latest insights. I hope it will inform and inspire you in equal measure. As I take the wheels of this prestigious institution as the first ever Francophone West African Executive Director, I will strive to ensure that the AERC continues its journey to build a more sustainable and inclusive world for all our African citizens. I haveembarked on a significant transformation of AERC to meet the expectations of our diverse range of stakeholders on a global scale. The world has undergone a seismic shift, and our continent faces new challenges and opportunities that we cannot ignore. AERC must transform to remain relevant and impactful in its various activities and collaborations. We must strive for excellence in all our endeavours. Research standards have evolved, and stakeholder demands have become more robust. AERC must Accept this change, Adapt to it, and adjust to it. AERC must speak to the rest of Africa, not only Sub-Saharan Africa and the world. I would like to see AERC recognized as an international institution of excellence in knowledge generation and dissemination, capable of influencing policies on the continent. Stories that form the content of this newsletter include a lead article on “Recovery Agenda from Multiple Shocks”. In the last two decades, African economies have suffered global economic shocks that the Covid-19 pandemic compounded. They have, however, remained resilient in the face of the pandemic’s impacts which affected the core of key macroeconomic indicators. In the newsletter, we also cover activities within the research and training programmes, new publications, and significant events the organization has hosted during the quarter. I look forward to connecting with you each quarter and providing as much information as possible on the incredible work accomplished by the staff and the AERC network. So please enjoy this read and share it with your friends. I welcome all feedback, comments, and questions about the information provided and suggestions for topics you would like to see in future newsletters. I want to thank the AERC, staff, Board of Directors, and the AERC network for trusting me with the leadership of this important institution. I will make it my mission to uphold the institution’s reputation and legacy as we battle into the future.