Congress Theme: 

        International Aid, Trade and Development in Africa: 

The Search for a Development Paradigm

 21 - 23 November 2005

United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Preamble

Africa is currently engulfed in multifaceted challenges that are impeding sustainable development in the continent. The continent is often portrayed as a major repository of human tragedies resulting from a combination of human folly and natural adversities. The situation is further exacerbated by unfavourable conditions grounded in the global political economy. The effects of globalisation manifest themselves through the negative balance of trade, heavy dependence on bilateral and multilateral aid and the accumulated debt burden, among others.

In an effort to come up with viable solutions to the problems facing the continent, a wide range of initiatives have been proposed by various stakeholders. One particular area that has captured the interest of stakeholders is the need for identifying the relevant approaches pertinent to the African context in terms of the relationship between international aid, trade and development. 

Africa’s place in the global trade system is determined by the international division of labour that relegates the developing world in general and Africa in particular to peripheral positions. Given the situation in which the continent finds itself at present, the years ahead pose formidable challenges. If reversals of the prevalent trends cannot be attained, the current African predicament is bound to persist unabated. It is therefore imperative that the underlying causes of the current development challenges facing the continent be critically examined. 

In recognition of the significance of these timely issues, OSSREA has chosen the topic, "International Aid, Trade and Development in Africa: The Search for a Development Paradigm," as the conference theme of its eighth congress.  The congress is the highest governing body of OSSREA. It convenes every three years and deliberates on a wide range of policy issues governing the overall operations of the organisation. The congress conducts its sessions in two separate proceedings, namely the conference and the business meeting. The conference session is an academic forum designed for the exchange of views and ideas on topical issues facing the African continent, while the business meeting deliberates on policy and other issues of paramount importance to the organisation. 

This year’s congress will be held in conjunction with OSSREA’s Silver Jubilee Anniversary. The major aim of the conference is to create a platform for scholars, social scientists and researchers, policy makers, members of parliaments, representatives of international, regional, governmental and non-governmental organizations, to meet and deliberate on the search for a novel development paradigm for Africa by critically examining the relationship between international aid, trade and development.  

OSSREA has selected the following themes for this year’s Congress:

Themes

• International aid and development in Africa

• International aid, globalisation and governance

• Social and economic impact of aid policies

• Trade, trade liberalisation and poverty alleviation

• Regional integration and development

• Gender, trade and entrepreneurship 

• Economic and social impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic

• Agriculture, market access, trade and development

• Private sector development and market access

• Democracy and development

Abstracts

The abstracts should observe the following points:

•  Written in English, in Times New Roman;

• Original content and unpublished work;

• Maximum length of ONE A4 page in single space;

• Margin: 1 inch space on all sides of the page;

• Title written in font size 12 pt and bold;

• Authors’ name and contact details written in  10 point font size and centred, with the name of presenting author underlined;

• Saved in Microsoft Word. 

Deadline

The abstracts should be submitted by email not later than 31st August 2005 and should be forwarded to:

The Conference Coordinator

Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA)

P.O. Box 31971

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Telephones:  251 1 239484 or (251) 1 239717

Fax:              251 1 223921

E-mail: congress@ossrea.net

Website: http://www.ossrea.net

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