CSEA’s Executive Director Dr Chukwuka Onyekwena attended the 15th African Policy Circle (APC) meeting under the theme: "Where is Africa in a Changing World: Active contributor or inert observer?" The meeting which was held in Accra, Ghana, on December 5th and 6th 2023, provided a platform for think tanks to deliberate on topics which are critical to reshaping the narrative and strategies for the continent’s future. The impact of technology on Africa’s relations, Africa's response to the global crisis, and potential next steps were among the topics covered.

CSEA participated at a Roundtable on Statistics and Monitoring and Evaluation meeting organised at the National Bureau of Statistics on November 29, 2023. The NBS made a presentation on the National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) in Nigeria (2024 – 2028), which highlights the progress that has been made in the review process and the next steps.

CSEA, in partnership with the development Research and Projects Center (dRPC) highlighted their work and progress on poverty-related research with FCDO and in partnership with the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN) of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). The research focuses on poverty dynamics in conflict related areas and social assistance across the six geopolitical zones. 

Dr Chukwuka Onyekwena represented CSEA at this event alonsgside other participants from CBN, Chartered Institute of Statisticians of Nigeria (CISON), FCDO, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, World Bank, among others.

The African continent is faced with low socio-economic developments mainly caused by economic difficulties, high public debt and the impact of climate change. These challenges affect the continent’s stability and security. The European Union and Italy are interested to invest in Africa's future, specifically in its energy field. For this investment to succeed, listening and understanding African priorities are crucial to effectively guide the Europe- Africa and Italy-Africa relations.

In light of this, the Luiss Business School in Partnership with ENI organized a two-day conference which aims to set up an international network of experts to promote the exchange of resources, expertise and analyse the best energy practices in order to enrich the public debate on energy transition between Africa and Europe. The conference was held at Luiss Campus, ROME from November 16 to 17, 2023.
The event provided a platform for leaders from major International and African Institutions, universities, think tanks and scholars to discuss about energy transition issues, in five different sessions.
CSEA’s Executive Director Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena, was a speaker in the 5 th session titled “International players and the private Sector in Africa’s Energy Transition.” The conference concluded with the network’s (European Union and Italy) reiteration of their commitment to support the sustainable development of African.

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) convened the 9^th edition of the Africa Think Tank Summit on November 8 to 10, 2023 in Lusaka, Zambia. The summit tagged Linking Evidence, Policies, and Practice to Contribute to the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement”, provided a platform for participants to share ideas and experiences and devise implementable recommendations on what works and what needs to change in Africa’s approach to implementing the AfCFTA.

CSEA’s Executive Director, Dr Chukwuka Onyekwena, joined other other stakeholders, including policy makers, private sector representatives, researchers, civil society organizations executives, and development practitioners at this meeting, to share ideas and experiences on the various interventions around AfCFTA implementation and offer concrete recommendations.

CSEA participated at the conference on "Social Protection and Economic Uncertainties in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Societies." The event was organized by the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN) in partnership with the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja, Nigeria, from November 8th to 9th, 2023.

 In collaboration with our partner, development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) represented by Dr. Turnwait Michael, CSEA Researcher, Fidelis Obaniyi presented a paper titled "Poverty Dynamics Amidst Complex Crises and Social Assistance in Nigeria”,and participated as a Panelist in a session titled "Outcomes of Social Protection Programmes: Focus on the Better Assistance in Crisis (BASIC) Project in Nigeria”.

The event provided a platform for participants including conference included scholars, researchers, and policy analysts from universities, think tanks, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, examined the links between social protection programmes and efforts of peacebuilding, conflict management, and reduction of insecurity in Nigeria.

Papers at the conference examined how these social protection programmes, such as conditional cash transfers, school feeding programmes, COVID-19 palliatives, support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) in Nigeria, youth empowerment programmes, have fared in practice.