Category: African Affairs

Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 14

July 19, 2015

INTERNSHIP: SOCIAL POLICY FOR INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT AT THE UN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Deadline: 19 July 2015 The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work, … More Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 14

“EITI was the Wrong Focus” and other Highlights of the Natural Resource Governance Conference

July 3, 2015

Last week, I was at a conference organised by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), formerly Revenue Watch Institute, on the challenges and opportunities presented by falling commodity prices. It was attended by the best in the academia, in policy and in civil society in the field. A breakdown of the panels and speakers is … More “EITI was the Wrong Focus” and other Highlights of the Natural Resource Governance Conference

Publication: ‘Why Goodluck Jonathan Lost the Nigerian Presidential Election of 2015’

July 1, 2015

Our publication (with colleague Dr Olly Owen) in the July edition of the journal, African Affairs is out. We wrote a brief on the Nigerian presidential election in March 2015, assessing why the election was exceptional in many respects, why many previous predictions including ours of a runoff or an outright Jonathan/PDP victory did not … More Publication: ‘Why Goodluck Jonathan Lost the Nigerian Presidential Election of 2015’

Africa’s Oil Shock

January 18, 2015

This is an opinion piece I recently wrote for Aljazeera English, analysing how African countries are responding to falling global crude oil prices. I reproduce it below: The plummeting of global crude prices is generating ripple effects worldwide. While oil exporters are reeling from plunging revenues, oil importers are bracing for cheaper oil, and the … More Africa’s Oil Shock

Legatum Institute’s Africa Prosperity Index 2014

December 24, 2014

The researchers at Legatum Institute, a public policy think-tank, were kind enough to invite me to the launch of their inaugural Africa Prosperity Index several days ago, at their headquarters in Mayfair London. The keynote speakers were Richard Dowden, Director of the Royal African Society and Marieme Jamme, CEO of Spot One Global Solutions and … More Legatum Institute’s Africa Prosperity Index 2014

Scholarships & Development Opportunities No.11

November 2, 2014

Scholarships for students from African countries to study Politics and International Relations at the University of Cambridge. This is available to candidates undertaking either a one-year MPhil in International Relations and Politics, or a three-year PhD in a field related to governance and human rights from 2015. The scholarships are jointly funded by the David … More Scholarships & Development Opportunities No.11

Incumbency and Opportunity: Forecasting Nigeria’s 2015 Elections

November 1, 2014

For months, my colleague, Dr. Oliver Owen and I have been working on some forecasting of Nigeria 2015 elections based on 2011 dynamics. The draft findings were recently posted on African Arguments HERE. I am re-posting it below. We welcome all comments, suggestions, critiques etc as we continue to refine our understanding of this rapidly … More Incumbency and Opportunity: Forecasting Nigeria’s 2015 Elections

Maryam Writes About Her Experience at Obama’s Fellowship for Young African Leaders

August 27, 2014

Maryam Shehu Mohammed is one of the 500 young leaders selected from around Africa, to participate in President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative in the U.S. She recently returned to Nigeria after the completion of her program. Maryam wrote about her experience through the entire process, from application to completion of the fellowship. Her piece … More Maryam Writes About Her Experience at Obama’s Fellowship for Young African Leaders

Obama’s Africa Summit: Too Little, Too Late?

August 16, 2014

This is an op-ed I wrote for Aljazeera English, on the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. In 2013, I was in the audience at the Oxford Union for a taping of Al Jazeera’s Head to Head featuring Thomas Friedman and his thoughts on US Foreign Policy. The show’s focus was entirely focused on the Middle East, and the United States’ … More Obama’s Africa Summit: Too Little, Too Late?

Nigeria’s Economic Transition Reveals Deep Structural Distortions

May 1, 2014

This is an article I recently wrote for African Arguments on Nigeria’s recently revised GDP series. According to recently reviewed GDP figures, Nigeria is now Africa’s biggest economy. It was about time a more accurate measure of economic output, which captures Nigerians’ entrepreneurial zeal, was adopted. The headline-capturing highlights of the new series reveal the … More Nigeria’s Economic Transition Reveals Deep Structural Distortions

Does Nigeria Really Need a ‘Sovereign National Conference’?

January 29, 2014

This is a piece I wrote for the Royal African Society’s African Arguments blog. In a few weeks, Nigerians across ethnic and regional divides will be gathering at a roundtable to discuss critical national issues. The imperative for this National Conference as a necessary discussion over Nigeria’s future was underscored by the President, Goodluck Jonathan, … More Does Nigeria Really Need a ‘Sovereign National Conference’?

Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 10

December 23, 2013

(1) THE CULTURES OF RESISTANCE SOAS SCHOLARSHIPS The Cultures of Resistance Network and the American Friends of SOAS (AFSOAS) are providing two postgraduate scholarships in 2014/15 at SOAS, University of London. Valued at £24,000 per student, the scholarships will be used to help their recipients meet the costs of tuition fees at the overseas rate … More Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 10

The World Bank (Africa) Fellowship for PhD Students

September 14, 2013

Culled from the World Bank: “The Africa Region of the World Bank Group is launching the World Bank Group Fellowship Program for Ph.D. students of African descent. The program will increase the diverse workforce that is a priority for the Bank and its clients. The Fellowship Program aims to build a pipeline of researchers and … More The World Bank (Africa) Fellowship for PhD Students

Morten Jerven’s “Poor Numbers” and Improving Statistical Capacity in African Countries

May 15, 2013

I don’t know about you but in the recent past, I had thought the debates in international development in this century had become rather stale. We had moved from Africa the “Hopeless Continent“, “Africa’s Growth Tragedy“, the continent of the “Bottom Billion” and the Trade vs. “Dead Aid” debate, to “Africa is Rising”, Africa “the … More Morten Jerven’s “Poor Numbers” and Improving Statistical Capacity in African Countries

Scholarships, Funding and Development Opportunities No. 6

January 20, 2013

2013 MASTERS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE, THE NETHERLANDS University of Twente in The Netherlands offers (Graduate) Masters degree scholarships for students of EU/EEA countries and Non-EU/EEA countries in various fields. UTS awards are limited in number. Students must have undergraduate degree with excellent results and good proficiency skills in English language with requirement of … More Scholarships, Funding and Development Opportunities No. 6