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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240314T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240314T150000
DTSTAMP:20240319T150034Z
CREATED:20240225T213647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240319T150034Z
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SUMMARY:Political Science as Problem Solving
DESCRIPTION:Event Recording\n \nIn this talk\, I will describe how political science researchers can take a problem-solving approach to orienting their work toward social issues. Drawing on a recent book chapter\, I’ll discuss how empirical political scientists can look for and define problems\, and the step-by-step process we go through (often in a series of studies)\, picking the right methodological tools to go from descriptive to causal analysis and intervention testing to find solutions. Along the way\, the kinds of questions we ask are shaped by ethical concerns\, the social value and practical considerations of potential interventions\, and analytical precision. I’ll use examples from contemporary research and my own experience in field experiments to show how we think about going from problems to solutions. \n\nCyrus Samii\nCyrus Samii is Associate Professor in the Wilf Family Department of Politics of New York University. He writes and teaches on quantitative social science methodology\, with an emphasis on causal inference. He is a prominent expert on the design of quantitative field research and social science randomized controlled trials. His applied research has focused on testing strategies to address governance challenges in contexts affected by war. He has carried out field studies in sites across Africa\, Asia\, and Latin America in collaboration with partners including the World Bank\, UN\, USAID\, UK Department for International Development\, and Danish International Aid Agency. From 2019-2023 he was Executive Director of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/political-science-as-problem-solving/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240325T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240325T120000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152633Z
CREATED:20240423T185125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152633Z
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SUMMARY:Virtual Book Launch: Disarmament\, Demobilization\, and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Africa
DESCRIPTION:The book launch started with opening remarks and the introduction of the book editor\, Ibrahim Bangura\, and the two discussants\, Dr. Nelson Oppong and Professor Azeez Olaniyan\, by the moderator and director of the SSRC’s APN and NextGen program\, Dr. Cyril Obi. This was followed by an overview of the book by the editor. He explained that the book’s main objective was to highlight the success or failure of Disarmament\, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) processes in Africa\, and highlight the importance of collaboration and innovative thinking in enhancing the policies and practices on DDR and peacebuilding in the continent. Also of importance were its reflections on the prospects for DDR in Africa in the future. . \nDr. Bangura’s overview was followed by the reflections of some chapter contributors to the book. Irma Specht\, spoke to her chapter on “The Cultural Realities of the White Army in South Sudan and Questioning DDR as an Appropriate Tool\,” by analyzing the history\, evolution and goals of the armed group and its links to the Nuer ethnic group. She noted the shift in its objectives from just protecting cattle\, to obtaining more wealth and protecting its community. Irma argued that the White Army was not a paramilitary group as assumed in policy documents. She concluded that DDR could not be an effective tool in the case of the White Army by pointing out that as an old cultural institution with needs for being armed\, such as protecting the village and animals from armed intruders\, it cannot be demobilized. \nAnother contributor of a chapter titled\, “Somalia: Towards A Fourth Generation DDR?.” Dr. Gibril Sesay explored the complexities of conflicts and DDR in Somalia. He made a case for rethinking and reconceptualizing the use of DDR\, including interferences and approaches to stabilization and peacekeeping in the country. Following his overview of several generations of DDR\, in Somalia\, Dr. Sesay argued that the situation is so nuanced and everchanging that traditional approaches to DDR need to be critically analyzed to address the uniqueness of the situation within Somalia itself. \nIn presenting her chapter on\, “Lessons Learned and Promising Approaches to Gender-Responsive DDR Programming in Africa\,” Dr. Luisa Maria Dietrich-Ortega\, focused on lessons learned from her 20-year long journey as a researcher\, studying gender-responsive DDR. She spoke to the global pattern of the marginalization of women combatants\, even though throughout ancient history\, women have always been present and actively involved in armed groups. Dr. Dietrich-Ortega noted that women’s contributions to DDR have remained low and largely unacknowledged. She encouraged researchers to challenge and question the gendered assumptions underpinning DDR\, including the marginalization of women and girl ex-combatants\, and advocate for greater gender equality in DDR. \nSpeaking to a coauthored chapter contribution\, “From Combatants to Civilians: A Never-Ending Transition in Zimbabwe\,” Dr. Simbarashe Gukurume\, explored\, DDR in Zimbabwe\, focusing on how ex-combatants interacted with the state\, especially in the post-liberation era. He explained how the precariousness of war veterans’ livelihoods makes them easily mobilized by political elites to engage in acts of intimidation and violence\, especially those within the ruling party\, ZANU-PF. Dr. Simbarashe also the established a link between veterans of Zimbabwe’s war of national liberation\, and their post-liberation remobilization by the ruling ZANU-PF party. He\, therefore\, argued\, that the DDR process in Zimbabwe was an incomplete process\, because it focused mainly on demobilization and disarmament\, and not on the reintegration of ex-combatants. \nIn his intervention\, the first discussant of the book\, Professor Azeez Olaniyan\, spoke about silences surrounding damage—physical\, economical\, emotional\, psychological\, suffered in the course of conflict\, and how these narratives are not often captured in several DDR processes in the African continent. He argued that the voices of perpetrators of violent conflict were usually overlooked by the quick-switch series of DDR programs aimed at contributing to ending war\, and underscored the importance of examining DDR from perspectives informed by the experiences of combatants\, both active and non-active. \nThe second discussant\, Dr. Nelson Oppong\, drew attention to the risks inherent in the distinct binaries inherent to DDR—in particular\, the distinction between victims and perpetrators\, illustrating this point by noting the difficulty that could arise when addressing the issue of where to place child soldiers. Similarly\, he critiqued how DDR tends to frame victims as passive\, and perpetrators as people who have agency. Another binary Dr. Oppong identified was the false distinction that DDR makes between violence and non-violence in relation the transition from the conflict to the post-conflict phase. He also advocated for a grounded analysis of\, and repositioning of the discourse around DDR in ways that enables it to complement meaningful democratic engagement. \nThere were particular highlights during the Q&A session. Ibrahim Bangura was asked how the book addressed government complacency in DDR\, especially considering the Nigeria’s\,’ and other African governments’ complacency in reintegrating soldiers into society. He responded by noting that the challenge of disarming Boko Haram lies in the disconnect and absence of synergy between state and federal government approaches to DDR programs for combatants. With no clear strategy for integrating ex-combatants into areas lacking government control\, the risk of a “revolving door syndrome” persists\, undermining any significant DDR efforts. Irma Spect was questioned about addressing the involvement of religious parties in DDR\, focusing on how to address this group within the process. She emphasized the significance of considering both religious and traditional leaders\, noting their roles in fostering forgiveness\, tolerance\, and cleansing within communities. \nFollowing the Q&A session\, Ibrahim Bangura expressed his thanks to the APN team\, chapter contributors\, and discussants. In his concluding remarks\, he noted that some of the points raised would be addressed in his forthcoming book volume.. He highlighted the enduring relevance of studying DDR\, citing ongoing struggles in Somalia\, DRC\, and other African countries. He also pointed to new challenges to DDR represented by the emerging phenomena of violent gangs and cliques in African cities\, particularly in post-conflict settings\, where disillusioned youth are seeking recognition and identity through various means. The event was ended by the moderator who expressed thanks to the editor\, book contributors\, his colleagues\, and attendees.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/virtual-book-launch-disarmament-demobilization-and-reintegration-of-ex-combatants-in-africa/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240418T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240418T160000
DTSTAMP:20240419T165011Z
CREATED:20240408T173019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240419T165011Z
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SUMMARY:How Can Scholars Help to Embed Institutions of Public-Sector Change?
DESCRIPTION:Event Recording\n \nThis talk discusses how social and behavioral scientists interested in the applied study of public services can think about ways for their research to have an impact. Professor Moynihan will draw from his experience studying government processes to discuss the purposeful framing of public problems\, and how researchers can design solutions of interest to policymakers.\n \nDonald Moynihan\nDonald Moynihan is the inaugural McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. His research seeks to improve how government works. He studies the administrative burdens people encounter in their interactions with government\, with the goal of making those interactions simple\, accessible and respectful. At the McCourt School\, he co-directs the Better Government Lab. He is the current President of the Association of Public Policy and Management. Moynihan has presented his research to policymakers at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget\, the World Bank\, the World Health Organization\, the United Nations\, OECD\, the Government Accountability Office\, as well as governments around the world. His writing and research has been cited in President Obama’s and President Biden’s budget proposals.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/how-can-scholars-help-to-embed-institutions-of-public-sector-change/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240522T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240526T170000
DTSTAMP:20241213T152625Z
CREATED:20240627T182243Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152625Z
UID:10000865-1716364800-1716742800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Africa Peace Research and Education Association (AFPREA)
DESCRIPTION:By Jacinta Maweu \nThe Social Science Research Council’s (SSRC) African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and the Next Generation of Social Sciences (Next Gen) program hosted a panel at the 2024 Africa Peace Research and Education Association (AFPREA) Conference that took place between May 22nd – 26th\, 2024\, at the MS TCDC Training Center in Arusha\, Tanzania. The general conference theme was : Ujamaa\, Ubuntu\, and New Pan Africanisms: The Future of World Peace. \nThe title of the APN and Next Gen Panel was: Connecting Pan-Africanism to Indigenous Peacebuilding in Africa: Challenges and Prospects. It brought together three APN IRG fellows and two Next Gen Fellows. Firstly\, the presentations provided African perspectives to peacebuilding by focusing on the lessons and insights that can be drawn from indigenous African practices and histories/herstories in addressing and critiquing hegemonic peacebuilding discourses. Secondly\, the presenters also explored how indigenous peacebuilding norms and practices can build on opportunities by connecting to the renaissance of Pan Africanisms to advance peace\, democracy\, and sustainable development in Africa. Lastly\, the presentations highlighted the commonalities in the challenges facing the continent’s quest for peace and the potential for homegrown solutions. \nThe first presentation was on Pan-Africanism\, Conventional Peacebuilding and Indigenous Peacebuilding Approaches in Africa: Challenges\, Opportunities and Prospects by Charles Felix Komba (Next Gen 2022 / 2023 /2024). In his presentation\, Charles examined how African indigenous peacebuilding approaches\, coordinated at the grassroots and governed from below\, can become essential platforms for addressing the root causes of African conflicts\, thereby building peace\, promoting solidarity\, and fostering sustainability. He called for indigenous bottom-up peacebuilding interventions and strategies\, which view conflict as a communal concern. \nThe second presentation was on Navigating traditional institutions in conflict resolution: The evolution of The Njuri Ncheke in Eastern Kenya by Dr. John Mwangi Githigaro (APN IRG 2021 and Next Gen 2016 / 2018). His paper focused on a traditional alternative dispute resolution institution\, Njuri Ncheke\, in Eastern Kenya. It analyzed the extent to which Njuri Ncheke can be an efficient and viable alternative for managing and resolving contemporary communal conflicts\, such as land and family disputes. Dr. Githigaro highlighted how Njuri Ncheke is a based non-formal indigenous peacebuilding mechanisms\, which stem from the agency of local grassroots communities. He argued for the inclusion of local peacemakers with a wealth of contextual experiences\, including indigenous conflict resolution structures\, in the ongoing efforts towards building sustainable peace. \nThe third presentation was on Maasai Ethnopolitics and Institutional Literacy Towards Functional Peacebuilding by Benezet Rwelengera (Next Gen 2022 / 2023 and 2023 / 2024). His presentation critiqued the widespread depiction of Africa as a global conflict hotspot\, discursively constructed as needing Western aid and assistance for peacebuilding. He observed that this discourse ignores the inherent capacities of indigenous conflict resolution strategies that existed years before colonial disruptions. Drawing from his experiences with the Maasai pastoral community\, he argued that looking inward could offer insights into situated and integrated ways of peacebuilding. He interrogated the Maasai’s evolving ethnopolitics and institutional literacy to unpack the diverse mechanisms through which the Maasai\, who have been negatively framed as instigators of conflicts\, have maintained functional peace within their communities. \nThe fourth presentation was on Invisibility of Indigenous Knowledge and Philosophies On Peace Scholarship: Empirical Insight from Bibliometric Analysis of African Peace Studies by Dr. Edwin Ngowi (APN IRG 2023). He presented empirical evidence to highlight how western epistemology and thinking overwhelmingly dominate peace and conflict studies in the African context. Using bibliometric analysis\, Dr. Ngowi demonstrated the presence of colonial legacy and dominance of Euro-centric epistemic in peace scholarship in Africa. He presented data from the bibliometric analysis of peace studies published between 1968 and early-2024\, observing the asymmetrical power relationship in knowledge production and dissemination. The results on the authorship of publications showed that scholars from the United States and Western European countries dominate the list of productive and highly cited authors in peace and conflict studies in Africa. He argued that this perpetuates Western-centric ideas and liberal paradigms\, which undermine African epistemologies\, including indigenous knowledge and philosophies on peacebuilding\, which are relegated to the margins of scholarly debates and discussion on peace research in Africa. He therefore called for knowledge decolonization and the promotion of indigenous knowledge and philosophies (such as Ubuntu) in African peace studies. \nThe final presentation was on I am Because We Are? Ubuntuism\, Ethnic Conflicts and the Crisis of Identity in Africa by Dr. Jacinta Maweu (APN IRG 2015 and CWG Fellow 2022 / 2024). Dr. Maweu’s presentation interrogated the challenges and ironies of talking about Ubuntu as a unifying worldview for different ethnic communities in Africa\, including the call to live as “One”\, in the midst of recurrent ethnic conflicts in various countries within the continent. She argued that\, although Ubuntu in the spirit of “I am Because We Are\,” can forge a new African identity based on decolonized consciousness. This ‘oneness’ under certain circumstances could however be narrowly interpreted to mean members of one’s ethnic community or nationality. This paradox can be gleaned from several cases of profiling of ‘Insiders’ and ‘Outsiders’ in inter-ethnic and/or xenophobic attacks across the continent. She concluded by observing that the Ubuntu values of ‘humanness’ and ‘oneness’ can be harnessed by indigenous local peacebuilding cultures to address the recurrent inter-ethnic conflicts in most of Africa. \nAs the moderator\, Jacinta wrapped up the panel discussion by highlighting the interconnected themes in the five presentations that emphasized the need to decolonize peacebuilding in Africa by adopting homegrown local grassroots approaches\, in contrast to the conventional top-down intervention approaches. She also noted that presenters had highlighted the challenges as well as prospects of blending of indigenous peacebuilding principles and practices with a renewed sense of Pan Africanist ideas in to advancing freedom\, peace\, and unity in Africa. \nThere was a 20-minute interactive session with the audience\, which included 70 participants – many of which granted positive feedback to the fellows. It was a great opportunity for the APN and Next Gen fellows to share their research findings with a scholarly audience\, and to network with participants drawn from different countries in Africa\, Europe and the United States.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/africa-peace-research-and-education-association-afprea/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240523T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240523T150000
DTSTAMP:20240524T184642Z
CREATED:20240510T062541Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240524T184642Z
UID:10000857-1716472800-1716476400@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:The Evidence-to-Policy Pipeline
DESCRIPTION:Event Recording\n \nRecent years have seen a large increase in the availability of rigorous impact evaluations that could inform policy decisions. However\, it is not enough for evidence to exist: It must also be seen as relevant and correctly interpreted. In this talk\, I’ll share new research (with Aidan Coville and Sampada KC) drawing on experiments conducted with policymakers\, practitioners\, and researchers at World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank workshops. We explored how each of these three groups respond to and weigh evidence when it is presented to them\, and which types of evidence policymakers tend to weigh more heavily. We find greater weight placed on good news than bad\, insensitivity to confidence intervals\, and that policymakers were extremely sensitive to context and whether the evidence or recommendation was produced locally. After presenting results\, I will discuss what researchers can do to make it more likely that their findings are used. \n\nEva Vivalt\nEva Vivalt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Toronto. She specializes in investigating stumbling blocks to generate evidence-based policy decisions\, including both methodological issues as well as how evidence is interpreted and used. Professor Vivalt has published in Science\, the Journal of the European Economics Association and the Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics\, among other outlets. She is a co-founder of the Social Science Prediction Platform — which coordinates the collection of forecasts of research results in the social sciences\, and founder of AidGrade\, a research institute that generates and synthesizes evidence in international development. Professor Vivalt is also a principal investigator on Y Combinator Research’s basic income renewed computer technology RCT and has other interests in labor economics\, development and global priorities research.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/the-evidence-to-policy-pipeline/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240625T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240625T170000
DTSTAMP:20240716T190454Z
CREATED:20240716T190231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240716T190454Z
UID:10000867-1719302400-1719334800@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Virtual Book Launch: America and The Production of Islamic Truth in Uganda
DESCRIPTION:The virtual book launch for America and The Production of Islamic Truth in Uganda\, began with opening remarks and the introduction of the book’s author\, Dr. Yahya Sseremba\, by the moderator\, Dr. Cyril Obi\, Director of the SSRC’s APN and Next Gen Program. \nThere were exactly four speakers: Dr. Yahya Sseremba\, the author and Research Fellow at Makerere Institute for Social Research (MISR) and a distinguished alumnus of the Next Gen program; Prof. Suren Pillay\, Head of African Studies and Linguistics and Director of the Center for African Studies at the University of Cape Town; Dr. Margaret Monyani\, a Senior Migration Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS); and Dr. Jacob Katumusiime\, a Religion and Politics scholar at MISR and a distinguished alumnus of the Next Gen program. Dr. Obi introduced the three discussants and then invited Dr. Sseremba to speak on his book. \nDr. Sseremba thanked Dr. Obi and the APN and Next Gen team for the opportunity to discuss his book. He noted that the book investigates how the war on terror has transformed the postcolonial state in Africa. He explained how power structures in Uganda have changed\, focusing particularly on Islamic education and American-led counter-extremism efforts. He contrasted pre-colonial power dynamics\, which integrated outsiders into the political community\, with modern colonial power\, which perpetually marginalized Muslims. Dr. Sseremba also emphasized how both colonial and post-colonial governments employed indirect rule and violence to exert control over Muslims. He continued by highlighting how current hegemonic American intervention aims to standardize Islamic education\, undermining traditional practices and personal autonomy. He articulated how local Muslim resistance to these reforms challenges and perpetuates the colonial legacy of separate but politically marginalized governance for Muslims. \nThe first discussant\, Prof. Suren Pillay\, praised Dr. Sseremba’s book for delving into the particularities of Ugandan colonial and post-colonial history. He admired how the book challenges assumptions in existing literature about Islam in Uganda\, emphasizing its interventionist effort in questioning established theoretical frameworks. In short\, the book “refuses easy binaries\,” offering new ways to understand anti-Islam and anti-Muslim violence. He also noted that the book addressed how dominant narratives around Islamist violence often distort realities within these communities. Prof. Pillay concluded by applauding the book for its nuanced analysis\, its ability to transcend binaries like tradition versus modernity\, and its refusal to adopt oversimplified abstractions. \nThe second discussant\, Dr. Margaret Monyani\, praised the book for its in-depth analysis of the profound impact of war and terror on the post-colonial state in Africa\, focusing on American intervention in Islamic education in Uganda. She highlighted three key messages: the transformation of the post-colonial state from indirect governance to direct state control over Islamic life; the critical examination of U.S. foreign policy in countering extremism during the War on Terror; and the urgency of local Muslim communities in responding to external interventions by modernizing education. She appreciated the book’s interdisciplinary approach that combines historical analysis\, theoretical frameworks\, and critical examination of contemporary interventions\, but noted the lack of indigenous African perspectives and gender analysis. \nThe third discussant\, Dr. Jacob Katumusiime\, described the book as a crucial reminder of the lasting impact of colonialism on Islamic thought and education in Uganda. He compared American intervention to the British colonial mission\, both aiming to control Islamic practice under the guise of a “civilizing mission.” He questioned how contemporary Muslim thinkers can imagine an identity beyond colonial modernity and considered the dominance of Saudi Salafi interpretations. Jacob also pondered whether non-Muslims could contribute to Islamic scholarship. He ultimately argued that the book is a powerful critique of colonialism and a call to decolonize Islamic thought and state institutions. \nThere were particular highlights during the Q&A session. Habib Uthuman Mailamung asked Dr. Sseremba about Muslims’ subjective interpretations of Islamic teachings to justify violence. Dr. Sseremba responded\, by stating that every interpretation is subjective\, as “the text shapes the believer\, but the believer also shapes the text through their interpretation.” He suggested that understanding how believers might interpret texts to justify violence against the United States\, the Ugandan state\, or particular groups moves us beyond the simplistic view that texts solely control believers’ actions and beliefs. \nAnother participant\, Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim asked Dr. Sseremba to what extent the strategies and techniques of governing Muslims in Uganda by the colonial and post-colonial state inform Muslim rebellion or non-rebellion. Dr. Sseremba responded by stating that to grasp violence in Muslim societies\, we must place it within the broader context of political violence and modernity. The modern state embodies an inherently authoritarian and violent structure of power. \nFollowing the Q&A session\, the author and all discussants thanked the APN and Next Gen team for allowing them to discuss the book\, praising it once again for its thoughtfulness and engaging nature. Dr. Obi concluded the Virtual Book Launch by stating that the works of scholars like Dr. Sseremba remind us that there is still resistance\, agency\, and hope in Africa even in seemingly impossible situations. He thanked all the participants in the event for their insightful questions and contributions\, while announcing that another virtual book discussion would be scheduled to hold in a couple of months.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/virtual-book-launch-america-and-the-production-of-islamic-truth-in-uganda/
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240722
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240727
DTSTAMP:20241213T152615Z
CREATED:20241017T173300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241213T152615Z
UID:10000872-1721606400-1722038399@www.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2024 APN and Next Gen Research Methods Workshop Series
DESCRIPTION:Lagos\, Nigeria \nFrom July 22 to July 26\, the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)\, in partnership with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)\, hosted the Research Methods Workshop at the Lagos Continental Hotel\, Victoria Island\, Lagos\, Nigeria.  \nOn Monday\, the workshop began with opening remarks from Dr. Cyril Obi\, the Program Director of APN and Next Gen. He thanked everyone in attendance for coming to the workshop\, expressing excitement for the days ahead. His remarks were followed by that of Prof. Eghosa Osaghae\, the Director-General of the NIIA\, welcoming participants to Lagos and Nigeria.  \nThe opening session was followed by a keynote lecture entitled “Insurgency and Environmental Security in the West Sahel: The Case of Northeast Nigeria\,” by Prof. Usman Tar\, the Honorable Commissioner of Information and Internal Security in Borno State\, Nigeria.  The Guest of Honor at the event was Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert\, Professor of African History\, Peace and Conflict Studies at the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS)\,  University of Ibadan\, who moderated the public lecture. The lecture explored  the linkages between environmental challenges such as desertification and reduced access to natural resources\, and fierce competition between groups such as pastoralists and farmers\, as well as violent conflict involving insurgent groups such as Boko Haram. This was followed by a Question-and-Answer session between Prof. Tar and members of the audience of APN and Next Gen fellows\, as well as scholars and guests from NIIA.  \nAfter a short break\, fellows returned to  the interactive workshop sessions. There were five APN IRF working groups and eight Next Gen thematic groups. The rest of the day was dedicated to the workshop sessions. \nOn Tuesday\, the day commenced with a keynote lecture entitled\, “Researching Women\, development\, and Peace in Africa: Navigating Between Field\, classroom\, and public sector\,” by Professor Precious Kassey Garba of the Department of Economics from the University of Ibadan\, Nigeria. The Guest of Honor at the event was Professor Femi Otubanjo from the NIIA\, who moderated the lecture. Professor Garba urged scholars addressing women’s issues in Africa to shift their gaze from problem identification to solution-focused research. She also called on researchers to adopt methodologies that genuinely serve Africa’s interests. This was followed by a Question-and-Answer session between Prof. Garba and members of the audience of APN and Next Gen fellows\, as well as scholars and guests from the NIIA \nAfter a short break\, participants returned to  the interactive workshop sessions\, splintering into the same groups as the day before. This took up the rest of the afternoon. \nOn Wednesday\, the day commenced with the APN IRF working groups and the Next Gen thematic groups’ meeting for their workshop sessions in the morning. This was followed by visits to places of interest\, including two cultural sites in Lagos\, The Nike Art Gallery and the Lekki Arts and Crafts Market\, in the afternoon. Afterward\, workshop participants enjoyed an evening dinner and cultural entertainment at the Lagoon Restaurant. \nOn Thursday\, the fellows engaged in two one-on-one mentoring and feedback sessions with a group facilitator. These sessions lasted from morning to early afternoon. Afterward\, there was a panel discussion with fellows and mentors\, moderated by Dr. Cyril Obi\, entitled “Developing and Applying Interdisciplinary Research Methods: Advancing African Perspectives to Knowledge Production\,” where the presenters shared their experiences and insights into challenges\, benefits\, and limitations of multidisciplinary research methods. The panelists included: Dr. Henrietta Nyamnjoh (Workshop Facilitator)\, Dr. Steve Akoth (Workshop Facilitator)\, Sean Maliehe (APN IRF | National University of Lesotho)\, Angela Mathias Kavishe (APN IRF | The Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy)\, Matseliso Motsoane (Next Gen Completion | University of the Witwatersrand)\, and Marie Grace Kagoyire Gasinzigwa (Next Gen Completion | Stellenbosch University). \nThis was followed by a Question-and-Answer session between the panelists and the audience. \nFollowing the panel\, there was a closing ceremony where Prof. Efem Ubi\, NIIA’s Director of Research\, and Dr. Cyril Obi delivered closing remarks and a vote of thanks. This was followed by the presentation of certificates of participation to 2024 APN and Next Gen fellows in attendance.  \nThe APN and Next Gen program would like to thank all of the fellows\, mentors\, keynote lecturers\, guests of honor\, and the members of the NIIA for their participation\, enthusiasm\, support\, and commitment to the program.
URL:https://www.ssrc.org/events/2024-apn-and-next-gen-research-methods-workshop-series/
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