Special Presentation of the 2014 AfDB African Economic Outlook Report
On Monday, October 13th, Africa House sponsored a Special Presentation of the 2014 AfDB African Economic Outlook Report event entitled Global Value Chains & Africa’s Industrialization featuring Dr. Abebe Shimeles and Dr. Anthony Musonda Simpasa from the African Development Bank.
Event Schedule:
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Presentation
7:30 pm – 8:15 pm – Reception
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Abebe Shimeles
Division Manager
Development Research Department, African Development Bank
Abebe Shimeles, an Ethiopian national, did his graduate studies in economics at Delhi School of Economics, India (MA) and University of Goteborg, Sweden (PhD). His main areas of research are poverty, income distribution, and labor market issues in Africa. Some of his work appeared in referred journals, books and chapters in books. For the last fifteen years, he has been actively participating in research programs of the African Economic Research Consortium and other institutions such as the UNWIDER. In his early career, he was Assistant Professor of Economics at Addis Ababa University where he taught economics and other courses to undergraduate and graduate students. He worked for a consortium of NGOs who were interested in monitoring the effect of the Structural Adjustment Program on the poor in the mid-90s in Ethiopia. He worked for United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the World Bank before taking up his current position at African Development Bank. Currently, his research interest focuses on labor market integration in the context of improving Africa’s competitiveness in the global economy and others such as growth diagnostics in West Africa and migration and remittances in Africa.
Dr. Anthony Musonda Simpasa
Principal Research Economist
Development Research Department, African Development Bank
Anthony holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, under the AERC’s Collaborative Ph.D. Programme (CPP). He is also a member of the AERC research network and the Global Development Network, where he has published working papers. His research interests include the microeconomics of banking, finance, and investment and he has published in peer-reviewed journals on market power and competition in banking. Recently he has been working on the macroeconomics of resource windfall revenues in Zambia and the employment effects of development projects funded by the AfDB. Anthony is currently task managing two assignments: Inclusive Growth Project and the African Economic Outlook – one of the AfDB’s premier flagship publications. Prior to joining the AfDB, Anthony worked at the Bank of Zambia for 12 years.
Professor Yaw Nyarko
Economist, New York University
Director, Africa House
Yaw Nyarko is a professor of Economics at New York University and the Director of the Center for Technology and Economic Development. He is also co-Director of the Development Research Institute, winner of the 2009 BBVA Frontiers in Knowledge Award on Economic Development Cooperation, and Founding Director of NYU Africa House. A theoretical economist, his current work focuses on models where the economic actors engage in active learning about their environments and human capital models of economic growth and development. He is the author of many published research papers and the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including many from the National Science Foundation. He has been a consultant to many organizations, including the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Social Science Research Council.