African Economic Conference 2015

Date: 
2 November 2015 to 4 November 2015
City: 
Kinshasa
Country: 
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the

“Addressing Poverty and Inequality in the Post 2015 Development Agenda”

The African Development Bank (AfDB), the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are pleased to announce their Collaborative Event, the African Economic Conference (AEC) 2015. The conference will be organized, from 02 to 04 November 2015, in  Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

This 10th edition of the AEC will coincide with the unveiling of the new Sustainable Development Goals that are due to replace the Millennium Development Goals from January 2016.

As in previous years, the Conference will provide a unique opportunity for researchers, policymakers and development practitioners from Africa, and elsewhere, to debate Africa’s development and the policies required to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities in the context of the Post 2015 Agenda. In particular, with a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the conference will establish the means to realize Africa’s ambitious agenda on inclusive growth as well as poverty and inequality reduction within social groups, countries and regions on the continent. The AEC 2015 will explore Africa’s desired policy, institutional and investments frameworks for reducing poverty and inequalities including critical regional dimensions.

The Conference will comprise a number of plenary sessions led by experts on African development as well as break-out sessions that will feature presentations and discussions by prominent academics, policy makers, private sector actors, opinion leaders, young African researchers and representatives from development organisations. The break-out sessions will allow for more in-depth and technical analyses of salient issues arising from the thematic focus of the Conference— Addressing Poverty and Inequalities in the Post 2015 Agenda.

The key discussion topics suggested below will enable a broad range of discussions on the current state of and prospects for Africa’s transformation and inclusive growth and will generate valuable insights for improved policy making.

  • The nexus between poverty, inequality and growth in Africa (theory and evidence)
  • Poverty and inequality features and determinants in Africa
  • Economic, social and environmental impacts of poverty and inequality in Africa
  • Inclusive growth and structural transformation as strategies for poverty reduction in Africa
  • Avoiding ‘spatial poverty trap’ and promoting horizontal, vertical and spatial inclusion in Africa
  • Policy options for addressing poverty and inequality in Africa
  • Strategies for poverty and inequality Goals in the post-2015 development agenda (especially the proposed Goals 1 and 10).

Papers accepted for presentation will comprise original work not previously published. Young African female and male researchers are especially encouraged to submit their articles. One of the objectives of the AEC series is to provide young African researchers with the opportunity not only to share their work with a broader audience, but also to expand their networks. As is the tradition, a distinguished panel will assess the papers presented and award a prize to the author whose paper has been deemed as the best Conference paper. The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony.