Panel Discussion: Perspectives on African Development

On April 17, 2008, a panel of experts convened before an audience in order to discuss their current perspectives on development in Africa. Panelists included: Dr. Kevin Davis (NYU School of Law): A professor at the NYU School of Law as well as an expert in financing development and contract theory. Dr. Davis’s current research is focused on commercial law and the general relationship between law and economic development. Dr. Augustin Fosu (UNU-WIDER): Deputy Director, UNU-WIDER honorary RDRC Research Fellow (University of California-Berkeley) and expert in African Development and the impact of globalization on the world’s poor. Dr. Akbar Noman (Columbia University): Senior Fellow, Initiative for Policy Dialogue and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. Dr. Noman has worked at the World Bank on various assignments which included macroeconomic management, country strategies, trade policy, and financial and private sector development, among other topics. Dr. Michael Wilson (Noguchi Memorial Institute): Deputy Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research at the University of Ghana and world-renowned parasitologist with research concentrating on parasitic and vector-borne diseases as well as other infectious diseases of importance in sub-Saharan Africa.