Developing nations especially Sub – Saharan African countries are in the preliminary stages of development and still over-reliant on the agriculture sector. These countries have a less productive manufacturing and services sector making agriculture the primary focus in employment creation, sustained economic development including serving as a buffer for food security.
The agriculture sector contributes over a third to the Gross Development Product in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the areas attributed to agriculture include but are not limited to arable farming; pastoral, poultry, and fisheries; irrigation; climate and natural resources; rural development; including formation institutionalization.
The institution proposes contribute to economies with reduced unemployment, adequate food, environmentally friendly irrigation, and production methods, improved technology, accelerated trade and investment opportunities, reduced environmental degradation, including good agriculture and development policies. We also seek to recommend policies that will improve rural communities in areas that impact their livelihoods such as nutrition, sanitation, education, energy use, technology, and infrastructure.
With a focus on these thematic areas and related subjects, the institution's research team is willing to play a key role in sustained agriculture and development policies.
Governments have quests to achieve economic development and growth, and industrialize, in particular, to reduce poverty, create employment, improve the standards of living, maintain a favorable balance of trade or payments and stabilize prices and exchange rate. However, achieving these requires good policies, particularly industrial policy, a strong institutional environment, and a highly committed political leadership.
Most industrialized countries have high levels of economic development and high economic growth rates, which means addressing challenges that affect industrialization is the first step towards realizing other economic and social objectives like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, changing this narrative does not happen naturally or by accident, but by careful designing and implementation of good policies that are pro-poor and pro-growth with a strong focus on a technology-based, knowledge-based economy and new skills generation.
The state is the primary the driver of economic development and industrialization through state-led economic development and industrialization. It also has the mandate to promote private-led economic development and industrialization by regulating and facilitating private sector participation in the economy. However, either the state or the market cannot do everything singlehandedly because of state failure and market failure respective. The two must reinforce or complement each other.
In this context, the state should craft and implement policies that stimulate structural transformation and create an institutional setting that enables entrepreneurship and private sector participation for effective sustainable and inclusive growth. Both industrial policy and institutions are fundamental as they provide a seedbed for industrialization, entrepreneurship, and economic development by promoting investment, improving human capital, and fostering innovation and technological upgrading.
The role of the state and market in the development, the impact of economic, political, and social factors, government policies, and other external factors like institutions, trade on economic development, and how they shape the path of development for different countries are discussed and examined in this thematic area. Improving the quality of life and standards of life also serves as a priority for policymakers as it stimulates productivity (through a well-educated and healthy economy) and attracts investment in developing nations.
To help developing countries on what policies they should adopt to improve economic growth and development, improve investment and entrepreneurship and reduce poverty, is the thrust of this thematic area.
Optimizing economic development is amongst the priority areas of the government. Rostow's modernization theory concluded that economies undergo five stages of development namely traditional, preconditions of take-off, take-off, drive to maturity, and higher mass consumption.
Developed economies have graduated with over-reliance on agriculture to an improved manufacturing sector and an exponentially growing services industry. This is in contrast to most developing countries such as Sub-Saharan Africa which are still reliant on the agriculture sector, which is still limited by inadequate technology which has consequently hampered productivity and economic growth.
Countries globally developed differently and at different times with most of them still developing. For example, Great Britain began its industrialization in the 18th century, Germany and Japan fully developed just within half a century after the second world war, while most African countries are still underdeveloped and languishing in poverty.
Developed economies have advanced industries with state-of-the-art technologies in the services sector which contribute to higher Gross Domestic Product -a stage many developing countries aspire to reach. The question developing nations' stakeholders ought to ask themselves includes; How can they accelerate development? What lessons can developing countries learn from developed countries to create employment, increase productivity and economic growth, and improve the economy's living standards?
This thematic focus will look at sectors that contribute to development across different economies and who they do so; the performance of institutions in advanced economies including the people's work ethic, culture, and lessons learned; and the policies that developed nations implemented and how developing countries can apply these lessons to stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life. Our primary objective is to ensure a sustained global village with higher economic outcomes and productivity, and consequently success.
Human societies and ecosystems are heavily being affected by the constant increases in temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and frequent extreme weather events, and will require support to adapt to these changes. There is sufficient evidence attesting that climate variability and trends continue to have adverse impacts on the world's social and ecological systems as there has been an increase in the intensities and frequencies of extreme events, such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts.
Other manifestations of climate change effects include negative impacts on human health and the acceleration of the process of land degradation. Although the impacts of climate change are experienced around the world, the magnitude and intensity of these impacts, however, are not equally distributed across the world, as some countries and populations or systems, especially in developing countries, experience the impacts more than others.
Furthermore, the vulnerability of social and ecological systems to climate change is expected to intensify in some parts of the world, particularly in developing countries. The African continent, with a considerable proportion of the poor population, is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change, with disproportionately threatened social and ecological systems.
Climate change has been a standout as one of the major challenges that threaten progress towards the achievement of national and development goals of the African continent. For example, unpredictable rainfall and recurrent droughts, particularly in southern Africa, have major impacts on agricultural production, with aggravating consequences including high risks to food security.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), extreme temperatures and high evapotranspiration, coupled with high intensity of human activities are some of the main drivers of desertification in some parts of Africa, particularly Southern Africa. The continent's complex social, economic, and political settings further compound both social and ecological systems to the impacts of climate change.
Furthermore, in most parts of the African continent (e.g., Southern Africa), most of the population is heavily dependent on natural resources for livelihoods, and the impacts of climate change on natural resources further aggravate the population's vulnerability to climate change.
Therefore, achieving climate change mitigation and adaptation can prove to be a challenging task, especially in developing parts of the world, such as most of the African continent. There is an urgent need for the implementation of action programs aimed at enhancing the resilience of social and ecological systems to the impacts of climate change in the most vulnerable parts of the world.
In this area, we hope to provide research and policy recommendations on production systems that are less hazardous to the environment, sustainable use of energy, and moderated industrialization and infrastructure development, and sustainable and environmentally friendly policies and regulations. We also seek to provide research on the sustainable use of energy and its effect on output and the environment including people's living standards.
International trade and investment are important elements in the economic growth and development of a nation. The advancement of technology and the change of views and globalization have opened the door for people, businesses, and countries to connect and expand their trading activities.
Trade and investment enlarge borders and integrate more investors – leading to greater wealth and specialization and improve the standard of living of the citizens. Although there have been massive changes in international trade and investment some countries are better off while some are worse off. Some countries are still implementing the protectionism approach thereby leading to trade imbalances.
Unfair trade places countries lead to an increase in poverty and unequal distribution of trade. Developing countries may have limited access to markets of other advanced countries. Countries have always been pursued to open their borders and trade with others because opens door to many opportunities such as lifting people out of poverty and improving the standard of living of the citizens.
But if it is to be observed closely, most of these countries protect their countries by closing their borders and developing their industries or imposing heavy tariffs on foreign goods. The workable approach of protectionism, countries should trade with each other for skill developments, employment opportunities, and specialization.
In this study area, this research thematic area tends to focus on how trade and investment can be improved across the globe especially in developing countries, and seeks to propose policy direction to that effect and proliferate sustained economic growth. Additionally, attention will be redirected toward spreading the benefits of trade and investment across all, exhilarating economic ground, export duration, and trade facilitation, favorable trade terms, including trade logistics and customs procedures and regulations.
At the end of it all, this thematic area seeks to research on and promote policies that will lead to increased trade, investment, and economic output in developing states.
The healthcare sector is a fundamental pillar of sustainable development, influencing economic growth, productivity, and overall well-being. In developing nations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, healthcare systems face significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to quality medical services, shortages of skilled healthcare professionals, and insufficient funding.
Additionally, the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, the prevalence of infectious diseases, and the effects of climate change on public health further exacerbate the fragility of healthcare systems. Addressing these challenges requires effective healthcare management strategies that prioritize efficiency, equity, and innovation.
This thematic area focuses on research that explores the optimization of healthcare delivery, policy formulation, financing mechanisms, and technological advancements in the health sector. Health policy and governance play a critical role in shaping healthcare systems, ensuring universal health coverage, and addressing inequalities in healthcare access.
Understanding the financial aspect of healthcare, including sustainable models such as public-private partnerships and health insurance schemes, is essential for equitable service delivery. In addition, hospital and healthcare facility management is crucial in enhancing operational efficiency, improving service delivery, and ensuring better patient outcomes.
The human resource aspect of healthcare is equally important, as the recruitment, training, retention, and performance of healthcare workers directly impact service quality. Moreover, the integration of digital health and technological innovations, such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and electronic health records, has the potential to revolutionize healthcare accessibility and efficiency.
Another key focus of this thematic area is public health and disease prevention, where research explores strategies for managing and preventing communicable and non-communicable diseases while addressing broader health determinants such as sanitation, nutrition, and lifestyle choices.
Pharmaceutical management and supply chain logistics also play a vital role in ensuring the accessibility, affordability, and regulation of essential medicines, as well as the effective distribution of healthcare resources.
By addressing these critical areas, this research initiative aims to contribute to the development of evidence-based policies and innovative solutions that enhance healthcare systems, improve public health outcomes, and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare services. Ultimately, strengthening healthcare management will support broader socio-economic goals, including poverty reduction, increased life expectancy, and enhanced human capital development.