Within the framework of Southern Voice’s study “State of the SDGs”, the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) organised a roundtable discussion to discuss Educational Performance in Nigeria and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (“quality education). Topics included: the dimensions, drivers, and implications for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the demand for an Education and Systems Change in Nigeria.

The first presentation focused on “Exclusion in Quality Education in Nigeria: Dimensions, Drivers and Implications for SDGs”. It discussed quality education while focusing on excluded groups. The study notes that wealth seems to be a significant dimension of exclusion in quality education in Nigeria. There is also a regional dimension and a rural-urban divide. In addition, the gender aspect of exclusion in quality education in Nigeria seems vital.

The second session was on “Understanding Synergies, Trade-offs & Global Systemic Issues in Meeting SDG4 in Nigeria”. The study aims to explore the linkages between the quality education goal & other SDGs. It asks how pursuing other goals positively or negatively affect SDG4. There was also a discussion on global systemic issues, how they affect local efforts at meeting the quality education goal and the transmission mechanisms through which this relationship plays out.

The 3rd Session on “Demand for Education & Systems Change in Nigeria”, focused on the demand side of education, getting parents invested in their kids’ education and communities in the quality of schools. Questions explored were: How can we increase the demand for quality education by parents and communities, so that students take advantage of inputs? How does politics influence quality education, and how does demand interact with politics?

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Ahead of the 2018 BRICS Summit, The South African Institute of International Affairs with National Treasury, the Global Economic Governance Programme and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation hosted a high-level conference BRICS and Africa: Navigating Global Economic Turbulence Together.

The event featured two high-level panel of discussions. The keynote panel  reflected on the implications for African and developing countries of the changing global geo-economic context. The second panel session brought together different stakeholders from Africa to examine the achievements and challenges of the bloc specifically focusing on the BRICS’s engagement in global economic governance forums. It also addressed the question of whether the BRICS have a coherent engagement strategy with Africa and whether there is room for the BRICS to engage more closely with each other within the BRICS grouping on their bilateral African engagement strategies.

CSEA’s Executive Director, Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena participated in the panel session on “Taking stock of the BRICS’ economic and financial cooperation and implications for Africa’s development priorities: Achievements and looking forward”.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion that considered perspectives from different BRICS countries on how to navigate the current wave of global turbulence, looking at what is next for the BRICS in its second decade. The event held on July 24, 2018 in Sandton, South Africa.

CSEA’s Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Adedeji Adeniran and Research Associate, Joseph Ishaku participated in the Peer Review Workshop for the “State of the SDGs” report organized by the Southern Voice in Negombo, Sri Lanka on July 18-20, 2018. The meeting featured six research teams– Ghana, Nigeria, Bolivia, Peru, India and Sri Lanka- the launch of their country studies to feed into the upcoming ‘Southern Voice State of the Sustainable Development Goals’ Report. The research will focus on three Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4 ‘quality education’, SDG 7 ‘affordable and clean energy’ and SDG 8 ‘decent work and economic growth’) in the Global South. The Southern Voice “State of the SDGs” initiative will provide evidence-based analysis and recommendations to improve the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a collaborative initiative, the programme will compile a broad range of perspectives that are usually missing from international debates. CSEA’s research will focus on “Educational Performance in Nigeria: The Dimensions, Drivers, and Implication for SDGs”(SDG 4). The Southern Voice is a network of 50 thinks tanks from across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It serves as a platform for the Global South to promote evidence-based dialogue on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its impact on the South

CSEA joined other participants at the  Regional Dissemination Conference of results from Phase II of the Research Project on Tobacco Taxation in West Africa tagged  “Tax Solutions for Optimal Reduction of Smoking in West Africa”. The conference was organized by the Consortium for Economic and Social Research (CRES) and funded by Canada's International Development Research Center (IDRC). It provided a platform for participants including key decision makers working on the formulation and implementation of tobacco taxation policies as well as international participants to discuss and propose resolutions to put into practice the ECOWAS Regional Directive for a significant reduction of tobacco consumption in West Africa. Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena and Precious Akanonu participated in this event which held 10 - 11 July 2018, Dakar, Senegal

The 2nd African Transformation Forum (ATF2018) was hosted by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), in collaboration with the Government of Ghana.

The ATF2018 which was a Dialogue for Action, brought together leading experts and practitioners from Africa to share perspectives on how to accelerate job growth, boost investment and help shape the course of economic transformation in Africa.

The event also offered an opportunity for the private sector and other non-state actors to get engaged and take stock of progress made in the Pan-African Coalition for Transformation (PACT). Launched at the ATF2016, PACT is a mechanism for high-level government, the private sector and civil society stakeholders to collaborate across sectors and borders to speed up implementation of transformative policies and reforms.

Dr Chukwuka Onyekwena joined other participants to contribute directly to the formation of action plans for several PACT thematic chapters, including those focused on resource mobilization, manufacturing, agriculture, extractives and skills development.

The ATF2018 also featured a private sector CEO roundtable in which a panel of leading executives shared their thoughts and strategies on the vital role of the business community in Africa's transformation process.

The event held in Accra, Ghana from June 20-21, 2018." alt="" width="800" height="480" /> " alt="" width="1024" height="445" /> " alt="" width="1024" height="683" /> " alt="" width="750" height="397" />