THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH, NEW YORK, USA

AFRICAN FELLOWSHIP

Call for Paper

Conference on the

Economic Development of Africa and the Caribbean

October, 14-15, 2011 / New York / USA

The African Fellowship of the Riverside Church in New York City is organizing a conference on the
“Economic Development of Africa and the Caribbean”. The objective of the conference is to bring
together leading thinkers and practitioners in development planning and economics to discuss
development issues in Africa and the Caribbean. Participants are expected to map out practical
strategies and effective tactics translatable into executable policies and programs aimed at
achieving accelerated and balanced development.

Papers presented at the conference will be collated in one document or location and will be made
available to governments and scholars in Africa and the Caribbean with the hope that they will serve
as useful resource and catalyst to bring about the urgent development needed in these places.

The conference will be held on the 2 days: October 14 & 15, 2011. Each day is divided into two
sessions: morning and afternoon. The details of each session and suggested topics are as follow:

First Session: Overcoming Obstacles and Programming for Development

1. Problems inhibiting development and how to overcome them

Some issues you may want to consider:
Multi-ethnicity/multi-nationalism as an impediment and political constructs to
address the problem
Opportunism, coups and wars in Africa: causes, effects and solutions
Political configuration: Decentralization vs. Concentration of power
Corruption as a resource drain and how to plug the drain pipe
Lingering colonial mentality and lack of intra-African cooperation: practical
strategies for collaborative development efforts.
 International organizations and African/Caribbean development: models for
effective collaboration for development.
The resource curse: effective policies and programs to turn natural resources
into a source of sustainable development, national harmony and security

Second Session: Programming for Development

1. Programming for development (tactics and strategies for accelerated development)

Some issues you may want to consider:
Technology policies and investment for accelerated development
Practical policies and strategies for accelerated technological
development
Key technologies that form the foundation for development
Controlling own destiny: practical strategies to develop crucial expertise
in exploration, mining, processing and application of natural resources
Controlling own destiny: Self reliance in crucial basic necessities – basic
pharmaceuticals, building construction inputs and building construction,
road construction, food processing, etc
Regional collaboration as a strategy for raising needed investment for the
development of expensive technological capabilities.
Educational resourcing and curriculum development (primary, secondary
tertiary) as strategic imperatives for sustainable development: what are the key
curriculum issues to address now?
Infrastructure: strategy for accelerated development
Resource allocation strategy for accelerated development

2. Agricultural development, food self sufficiency and food security

Some issues you may want to consider:
Challenges of food self-sufficiency and large scale commercial agricultural
development in Africa/Caribbean and how to overcome them
Land tenure system
Technology and equipment challenges
Best practices for large scale agricultural development in Africa
Conflict of interests: cash or food crops?
Storage, processing and transportation of agricultural produce
Water resources and water usage
Deforestation, desertification and others

Third Session: Development Funding and National Planning

1. Financing development
Some issues you may want to consider:
 Little can go very far: effective utilization of national resources through optimal
resource allocation
Curbing wastage through cost control: effective strategies for cost control
Utilizing global resources: when, where and how to borrow for development
Smart aid-ing: when, where and how to use international aids
Strategic programming for entrepreneurial development
Smart programming for private sector development participation
When and how to encourage foreign investment
2. National planning
Setting development goals, milestones and timelines
Feedback and control

Fourth Session: Regional Integration, NGOs and Others

1. Regional integration for stability, strength and development

2. NGOs and African/Caribbean development
3. The role of religion
4. Others

Abstract and Paper Submission

Those who plan to present papers are required to submit a half-page to a full-page abstract in MS-
Word by June 30, 2011, and the full paper is due by September 5, 2011. Submissions should be
made electronically as an email attachment to acconference2011@gmail.com or by uploading at
the conference’s website. Due to time constraint, the organizers may not be able to accept all the
papers for presentation at the conference, but every paper submitted will be included in the post-
conference publication. Those whose papers have been accepted for presentation at the conference
will receive notification by July 31st.

Accommodation

For those who may need accommodation, there are several hotels to choose from and a few of
these are listed below:

1. Aloft Harlem
Address: 2296 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, New York City, NY 10027
Price range: $190 - $335/night
Phone: (212) 749 - 4000

2. Astor on the Park

Address: 465 Central Park West, New York City, NY 10025
Average Price: $95/night
Phone: (212) 866-1880
 New York hotels are highly accessible on the internet and attendees are advised to search and make
their own choices.

For more information on the conference or opportunity for co-sponsorship, please visit
http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/events/?ecd or contact any of the following:

Dr. Colleen Birchett

cbirchett@yahoo.com

Tunde Aboyade-Cole
eimg2004@yahoo.com

Sincerely,

Tunde Aboyade-Cole
Chairman, Organizing Committee