| 8:30-9:00 |
Registration |
| 9:00 |
Opening |
| Chair: |
Dr. Kerfalla Yansane, Guinea |
| Rapporteur |
Adrian Gauci |
9:00-9:30
|
Welcome remarks by ECA Remarks by African Union Commission (AUC)Remarks by UNDP |
| 9:30-9:45 |
A Brief Report on the African Learning Group on PRSPs and on the Future of the PRS/MDGs-LG” – Mr. Kasirim NWUKE, Chief, MDGs/Poverty Analysis & Monitoring, ACGS |
| 09:45-10:15 |
Discussion |
| 10:15-10:45 |
Coffee break |
|
Session 1 |
| 11:00-12:00 |
Broadening the research web |
| Chair |
Dr. Kojo Appiah Kubi, Director, National Development Planning Commission, Ghana |
| Presenter |
Prof Yaw Nyarko, New York University |
| Rapporteur |
Mr. George Ogboro, ECA |
|
This Session will be based on the Concept Note prepared for the workshop by Prof. Yaw Nyarko of New York University, NY, USA. The Concept Note explores more generally issues and questions surrounding the use of a Learning Group (LG) to enhance policy research on economic development in Africa and provides suggestions for possible use and extension of the existing PRS/MDGs-LG. The main idea of the note involves the concept of a Learning Group made up of a number of networks. It also explores a funding mechanism for such a learning network. |
| Discussion |
Issues in PRS/MDGs and possible new research areas |
|
Session 2 |
| 12:00 - 13:00 |
MDG expenditure targeting and tracking |
| Chair: |
Mr. Udo Etukudo, Macroeconomist, UNDP |
| Presenter |
Mr. Lawal Y. Aboki, Deputy Director, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the MDGs |
| Rapporteur |
Oumar Diallo & Omar Abdelrahim |
|
One of the conditions for debt relief for many African countries was that debt relief should be spent on the social sector and in particular on MDGs-specific sectors such as education, health, and sanitation. In a number of countries, special units or offices were set up to ensure that relief resources are appropriately targeted and tracked. The Nigerian MDGs Office is one such example. How well has this approach worked? Is it an efficient way to allocate debt-relief resources toPRS and MDGs? Are there any issues and lessons amenable to research and for peer-learning arising from it? |
| 12:30-13:00 |
Discussion |
| 13:00-15:00 |
Lunch Break |
|
Session 3 |
| 15:00-16:30 |
Growth, inequality, and poverty |
| Chair: |
Prof. S. ‘Tunji Akande, Director-General, Nigerian Institute for Social & Economic Research |
| Presenter: |
Prof. Bernard Aigbokhan, Department of Economics, Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Nigeria |
| Rapporteur |
Oumar Diallo |
|
Poverty reduction has been at the centre of the development debate for decades. It is recognized that rapid and broad based economic growth is critical for poverty reduction and the aggregate scorecard in Africa in recent years on growth has been impressive. However, the impact of growth on poverty has been at best minimal. The number of Africans living in extreme poverty remains very high. Based on this outcome, the meetings of the PRSP-LG concluded that growth is necessary but not sufficient for poverty reduction and for accelerating progress towards the targets of the MDGs. Complimentary policies such as on inequality, are necessary. This has led analysts to begin to investigate the “growth-poverty-inequality nexus. This Session will be based on the country case study of the growth-poverty-inequality nexus of Nigeria. It will discuss the feasibility of research on this topic in other African countries and what additional areas that research should look into. |
| 15:30 – 16:30 |
Discussion |
| 16:30- 16:45 |
Coffee break |
| 16:45 – 17:15 |
Wrap-up of Day One discussions |
