Economy and Development

Research have found a negative correlation between the level of economic performance and conflicts within states. Low economic outlook and bad economic strategies could increase disturbances even in the developed world. The lack of development has resulted in severe consequences in the developing world with conflict exerting higher financial and human cost on these societies. It is not the case that Africa lacks resources to develop. The lack of effective and fair delivery mechanisms that distribute economic resources for development is partly to blame for the continent’s economic woes. In other words, there is a missing puzzle in connecting those resources to strategic development projects that will ensure equity and benefit the people.

The Center takes these issues seriously and researches ways to connect the economic delivery puzzles. Much of the Center’s work focuses on creating an enabling domestic institutional economic environment to ensure functional economic networks thereby achieving domestic security.

Regional economic integration in Africa is also a focus of the Center.

“We shall measure our progress by the improvement in the health of our people; by the number of children in school, and by the quality of their education; by the availability of water and electricity in our towns and villages, and by the happiness which our people take in being able to manage their own affairs. The welfare of our people is our chief pride, and it is by this that my Government will ask to be judged” Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (First President of Ghana)

The Center subscribes to the concept of sustainable development, and which reflects in the advancement in the lives of the ordinary people. Domestic capacities are unique to different societies and states. However, the Center strongly believes that there are certain good practices that are transferable from one society to the other. The Center studies good practices of societies that have achieved developmental successes and how such practices are transferable to other societies.

Development measured as progress in the lives of people is the strongest indicator regarding a nation’s path to stability and security.

Apart from the Center’s goal of developing benchmarks that measure development by the improvement in the life of the people, the Center will also partner with governmental and non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, and other stakeholders in research and delivery of community-specific development strategies.