About the YSI Virtual Plenary – Africa Working Group

Dear members, only four days remain before the beginning of our sessions in the YSI virtual plenary framework, and we would like to share some information regarding this event.

1- About the mentors:

Our mentors for the event will be Dr. Folashadé Soulé, Senior Research Associate in International Relations at the University of Oxford, UK, and Pr. Abdul-Ganiyu Ajani Garba, Professor of Economics at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Prof. Garba and Dr. Soulé will accompany us during the event, assess the papers, and provide feedback. They both will also be speaking about topics in our field, such as the role of African economists (Pr. Garba) and the responses to Covid-19 in Africa (Dr. Soulé). We invite all of you to attend their input talks during the plenary.

2- Key dates for the Africa Working Group:

• Thursday 5th November,
Time: 13-14 (UTC)
Session 1: Introduction & State of the field report
Location: Africa Working Group Ship
Moderator: Femi Awopegba, Organizer YSI Africa Working Group

• Saturday 7th November
Time: 12-13 (UTC)
Work-in-progress session 1
Location: Africa Working Group Ship
Moderator: Geraldine Sibanda, Coordinator YSI Africa Working Group
Presenters & Topics:
1- Bryan Umaru Kauma, “Many dishes are no longer eaten by sophisticated Africans”: A social history of small grains in Zimbabwe, 1930s to 1960.
2- Melike Döver, Structural impacts of trade integration with a regional hegemon – An evaluation of SADC's bilateral trade patterns.
3- Sibanengi Ncube, “We can’t breathe”: Zimbabwe’s small scale tobacco farmers and the tobacco sales floor economy under covid-19 lockdown.
4- Abiodun Agboola, Regime Change and Economic Development: An Appraisal of Continuity in Nigerian Economic Policies.

• Sunday 8th November
Time: 13-14:30 (UTC)
Work-in-progress session 2
Location: Africa Working Group Ship
Moderator: Abel Gaiya, Organizer YSI Africa Working Group
Presenters & Topics:
1- Tawanda Pasipanodya, Okun’s Law: An Asymmetrical Approach for Zimbabwe (1991-2018).
2- Emmanuel Haruna, The Effects of the Natural Resource-Curse in the Oil Sector on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries.
3- Marcelo Gantier Mita, Commodity Shocks, Factor Intensity and Conflicts in Africa.
4- Ebele Nwokoye, Macroeconomic drivers of unemployment in Nigeria: Does periodization matter?

• Wednesday 11th November
Time: 10-11:30 (UTC)
Input talk by Prof. Abdul-Ganiyu Ajani Garba on ‘The Role of African Economists’
Location: constellation ‘the role of economists’
Moderator: Femi Awopegba, Organizer YSI Africa Working Group

• Thursday 12th November
Time: 11:30-12:30 (UTC)
Input talk by Dr. Folashadé Soulé on ‘The Responses to Covid-19 in Africa’
Location: constellation ‘Development’
Moderator: Herbert Mba Aki, Coordinator YSI Africa Working Group

• Saturday 14th November
Time: 11-12:30 (UTC)
Showcase sessions
Location: Africa Working Group Ship
Moderator: Christopher Shafuda, Organizer YSI Africa Working Group
Presenters & Topics:
1- Joeri Schasfoort, SABCoM: A Spatial Agent-Based Covid-19 Model.
2- Laure Gnassou, Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic and Debt in Burkina Faso facing a Multidimensional Crisis.
3- Dawon Park, Will AU’s integration succeed its predecessors from other regions?

• Monday 15th November
Time: 13-14 (UTC)
Session: Projects brainstorm
Location: Africa Working Group Ship
Moderator: Petronella Munhenzva, Coordinator YSI Africa working Group

3- Internet Stipends

YSI will offer internet stipends for any member who does not have access to a stable internet connection or in some way is shut out from participating due to lack of internet access.

Requirements:

  • Provide a brief explanation of your situation
  • Must be a registered member of YSI at the time of the YSI Virtual Plenary
  • Must attend at least 5 different sessions and provide proof attendance with screenshots
  • Provide a receipt

Please find the form with all details in the following link: https://fs8.formsite.com/CNZLjX/etw2aiakhu/index.html

We hope each of you is excited and ready to live this unique experience in the YSI virtual world.

Best wishes,

Oluwafemi Awopegba, Abel Gaiya, Herbert Mba Aki, Petronella Munhenzva, Chris Pomwene Shafuda, and Geraldine Sibanda

The Organizing Team, YSI Africa Working Group.