CSEA Participates in  the Inaugural Nextier Development Festival

The Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) actively participated in the inaugural Nextier Development Festival (DevFest 2025), held in Abuja on September 24, 2025. The event convened leading policymakers, academics, and development practitioners to discuss practical, evidence-based approaches to tackling poverty in Nigeria.

CSEA’s Executive Director, Dr. Chukwuka Onyekwena, joined a high-level panel on Governance, Data, and Policy Implementation, where he spoke  on “Using MPI Data to Drive Policy Decisions.” He emphasised the need to  integrate multidimensional poverty data into federal and state development plans, budget frameworks, and intervention strategies to strengthen Nigeria’s poverty reduction efforts.

Dr. Oluwatosin Deborah Edafe, Research Fellow at CSEA, also played a key facilitation role during the session. She led  discussions on how governments can enhance data demand and utilization in policymaking. She also contributed to the workshop design and led interactive sessions aimed at translating research insights into actionable policy recommendations.

CSEA’s contributions at DevFest 2025 underscores  its ongoing commitment to promoting  evidence-based policymaking and supporting Nigeria’s efforts to build inclusive and effective poverty alleviation strategies.