Publication Project Africa Yearbook

Professor Dr. R. A. Alabi from Ekpoma, Nigeria (Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, Second Term), cooperating with the Research Group on African Development Perspectives (directed by Professor Karl Wohlmuth) and Dr.  U. Nadirkhanov from Tashkent, Uzbekistan (DAAD Research Fellow, Second Term), cooperating with the Research Group on Eastern Europe (directed by Professor Axel Sell) will present their research findings on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012, 16-18 p.m. in the University of Bremen, Building WHS 5, Room 0.13. At 18.00 p.m. the Press is invited to interview the two researchers on their scientific work and on the conditions and developments in Nigeria and in Uzbekistan. The Full Programme with Abstracts of the Lectures is ready for download (Full Programme and Abstracts).

 
Our International Research Fellows Professor Alabi from Nigeria and Dr Nadirkhanov from Uzbekistan prepare for their presentations



Professor Alabi is listening to the statements and presentations



Professor Alabi and Dr. Nadirkhanov after their presentations



Dr. Nadirkhanov praises the activities of IWIM which was founded 25 years ago in August 1987



The research supervisors Professor Wohlmuth and Professor Sell with their international guests after the closure of the workshop


The presentations and/or the papers will be revised by the authors and will then be made public in due time. 

It was agreed to continue the research cooperation between the research groups at the University of Bremen and the partner university institutions in Nigeria and Uzbekistan, and it was also agreed to extend the cooperation to younger researchers in Nigeria and Uzbekistan.

Professor Axel Sell (from the Working Group Eastern Europe) and Professor Karl Wohlmuth (from the Working Group African Development Perspectives) jointly invite to a Research Workshop on August 15, 2012 at the University of Bremen in Building WHS 5, Room 0.13, at 16-18 p.m. 

Two Senior Research Scholars will report on their researches:

Professor Dr. Reuben A. Alabi from the Department of Agricultural Economics, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria is an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow and Dr. Ubaydulla Nadirkhanov from the Tashkent State Institute for Oriental Studies is a DAAD Research Fellow.  

Programme of the Workshop on August 15, 2012, 16-18 p.m. in WHS 5, Room 0.13:

Introduction: Professors Axel Sell and Karl Wohlmuth

Lecture and Discussion: The Aid-Growth Link in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Case of Nigeria, Presentation by Professor Alabi

Lecture and Discussion: Direct Investment in a Resource-rich Transition Economy. The Case of Uzbekistan, Presentation by Dr. Nadirkhanov

Final Discussion: Can the two Country Cases be compared?

Conclusions: Professors Axel Sell and Karl Wohlmuth

Participation: is for the public possible free of charge, but a notification is requested at: iwimsek@uni-bremen.de or at:  wohlmuth@uni-bremen.de or at: sell@uni-bremen.de

As IWIM was founded in August 1987 this event is also a good opportunity to think about the research work of the past 25 years and about future tasks.

In einem Vortrag anlässlich der Eröffnung der Tagung "Afrikanische Perspektiven: Was kann Afrika gewinnen" referierte Professor Karl Wohlmuth über die verschiedenen Kanäle bzw. Wege des Technologietransfers nach Afrika. Eingegangen wurde insbesondere auch auf die heimische Absorption von ausländischen Technologien. Die Absorptionsbedingungen wurden in Bezug auf Innovations- und Technologieindikatoren für die drei Länder Ghana, Mali und Südafrika beleuchtet. Auf das Nationale Innovationssystem von Ruanda wurde eingegangen, da dieses Land dabei ist, die agro-industrielle Entwicklung konsequent auf der Basis von Wissenschaft, Technik und Innovation/Science, Technology and Innnovation (STI) auszurichten. Am Beispiel des Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI)-Programms wurde das Agrarinnovationssystem von Uganda dargestellt, um zu zeigen, welche konkreten Möglichkeiten es gibt, Produktion und Markt durch Innovationen besser aufeinander abzustimmen und so die ländliche Entwicklung zu fördern. Die neuen Ansätze der Koppelung bzw. parallelen Nutzung von verschiedenen Modernisierungsvarianten ("Regenbogenstrategie") wurden am Beispiel der Saatgutversorgung in afrikanischen Ländern erläutert. Abschließend wurde auf die Bedingungen eingegangen, um aus den Technologietransfers maximalen Nutzen zu ziehen.

In vier Arbeitsgruppen wurden spezielle Thematiken aus den Bereichen Energie/Desertec, Telekommunikation, Medizintechnik und Recycling behandelt. Der Workshop wurde vom BeN/Bremer entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk e.V. veranstaltet (Link: http://www.ben-bremen.de/veranstaltungskalender/icalrepeat.detail/2012/06/29/419/). Eine Auswertung der Fachtagung ist vom BeN geplant. Die Reihe "Afrikanische Perspektiven" wird in jährlicher Folge durchgeführt. 

Die Präsentation von Professor Karl Wohlmuth liegt als PDF vor (Link).

In an essay Professor Karl Wohlmuth discusses three levels of action for promoting agriculture, agro-industry and agribusiness in Africa - the level of sectors and sub-sectors, the level of value chains and the level of competitive firms and products. It is shown that progress depends on strategies to create linkages between sectors, to integrate value chains and to convert comparative advantages into competitive positions. The role of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is relevant at all the three levels, and specific support strategies are proposed and recommended. STI is a major force which can be productively used also in low developed African countries. Although some African countries have made progress in linking agribusiness development and STI, like Rwanda, much more needs to be done at national, regional and sector levels. 

The essay will be published in a long version (in the IWIM Blue Series Discussion Papers Number 124) and as a short version (in an edited volume on West African Fruits and Crops, based on a research project directed by Professor Hans-Heinrich Bass, Bremen University of Applied Sciences).

The UNIDO study Agribusiness for Africa's Prosperity with the chapter on Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa by Professor Karl Wohlmuth is now also available as an E-Book - in the English Edition and in the French Edition (see for the English Edition:http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Publications/Pub_sales/Agribusiness_for_Africas_Prosperity_e-book.pdf, and for the French Edition: http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Services/Agro-Industries/Agribusiness/agribusiness_french_e-book.pdf).

Professor Alabi was granted a second research fellowship from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to do research in Bremen at IWIM on the theme of Sectoral Analysis of the Impact of Foreign Aid in Nigeria: A Dynamic Specification (see the Research Plan). The research programme was prepared in cooperation with Professor Karl Wohlmuth. Professor Alabi will stay for three months from end of June 2012 to early October 2012 at IWIM. He will cooperate in his research with other institutions in Europe (like WIDER, GIGA, OECD Development Centre, DIE, etc.) which are working on the aid-growth link, and he will also give seminars on his research results. Professor Alabi is from the Department of Agricultural Economics, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria. He is associated with IWIM since 2004 and has continuously contributed to the Publications Programme of IWIM (Link: IWIM Blue Series Discussion Papers).

Der Bremer Wirtschaftsprofessor Karl Wohlmuth kooperiert mit dem Publications and Dissemination Programme von CODESRIA (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa) in Dakar. CODESRIA ist die führende sozialwissenschaftliche Forschungseinrichtung in Afrika (Link CODESRIA: http://www.codesria.org/?lang=en).

Cooperation with CODESRIA, Dakar: Professor Karl Wohlmuth cooperates with the Publications and Dissemination Programme of CODESRIA (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa) in Dakar. CODESRIA is the leading social science research organization in Africa (Link CODESRIA: http://www.codesria.org/?lang=en).

African Economic Lions: PEGNET (Poverty Reduction, Equity and Growth Network) invites to its Conference 2012 on How to make African Economic Lions: Tapping Africa's Growth and Poverty Reduction Potentials, 6 - 7 September 2012, Dakar, Senegal (see the links to the Initiative, to the Newsletter and to the Call for Papers).

The Research Group on African Development Perspectives Bremen has published two volumes - as the numbers 13 and 14 of the African Development Perspectives Yearbook - on New Growth and Poverty Alleviation Strategies in Africa (Link to Yearbook http://www.iwim.uni-bremen.de/africa/africanyearbook.htm). International and regional issues were covered in volume 13, while volume 14 has focused on institutional and local issues with regard of new growth and poverty alleviation strategies.

Economics of Public Expenditures In Nigeria: Professor Dr. Alabi from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria has published two new books being of importance for Nigeria's economic development. 

The first book (Link to Cover and Content) analyses the Economics of Public Sector Spending in Nigeria. Professor Alabi has applied a methodology to analyze if public sector spending for education and health is pro-poor which he has developed during his 18-months-stay as an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at IWIM. Various researchers of his research group in Ekpoma at the Ambrose Alli University have contributed to this volume. 

The second book is on Fertilizer Use and Efficiency of Rice Production (Link to Cover and Content). The book analyzes the effect of fertilizer use on rice production using Edo State in Nigeria as a case study. 

Professor Alabi is expected to come to IWIM end of June 2012 to stay for a three months period for research on "Aid, Growth and Nigerian Development".