FICAD PROJECT APPLICATION Submitted by Professor Elizabeth Asiedu On Behalf of The Association for the Advancement of African Women Economists

If more economists are women, economic analysis will be richer, and if more women are familiar with economic reasoning, public debate will be stronger and deeper--- Jonung and Ståhlberg, Econ Journal Watch, 2008. FICAD PROJECT APPLICATION Submitted by Professor Elizabeth Asiedu On Behalf of The Association for the Advancement of African Women Economists Project Title: Capacity Building of African Women Economists Name of Applicant: Association for the Advancement of African Women Economists (AAAWE) Address: 1117 Stoneridge Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049, US Email: Elizabeth.asiedu@aaawe.org; Phone: 785-832-8154 Project Duration: May 1, 2013- May 1, 2014 Grant Amount Requested: $237,394.50 Focus Area Addressed: Innovative and Catalytic Date of Submission: March 26, 2013. Date of Receipt: March 26, 2013 1

1. Brief Summary of Project Several studies have found that women are grossly under-represented in the Economics profession and that women economists face a glass ceiling at the workplace in academia, research institutions, government as well as the private sector. Furthermore, women face unique challenges, such as balancing family and work. Five reasons are often given to explain the dearth of women in the profession and the inability of women to move up the career ladder. The first reason is the pipeline issue that fewer women pursue graduate studies in Economics. The second reason pertains to the fact that economics is a male dominated profession, and as a consequence it is difficult to find senior women economists who can serve as mentors and role models for junior female economists. Another reason is that net working is crucial for professional development, and women economists tend to be isolated. The last two reasons are that women lack the technical skills needed to do rigorous research and also have difficulty balancing family and work obligations. The under-representation of women in the Economics profession and the challenges facing women economists are even greater for African women. The proposed project builds the capacity of women economists based in Africa. The project facilitates their professional development by providing training, mentoring and networking opportunities for the women. In addition, it offers opportunities for the women to disseminate their research and also to interact with economists that reside outside Africa. The project activities include mentoring/ technical workshop, participation in an international academic conference, scholarships to pursue graduate studies, visiting scholars program and publishing papers authored by African women economists in a peer reviewed international journal. The project is in line with ACBF s commitment to fostering women s empowerment in Africa. 2. Introduction The dearth of women in the Economics profession and the inability of women economists to progress professionally seem to be a global problem. To address these problems, the national economics associations in various countries have formed committees/networks that focus on increasing the number of women economists and facilitating their professional development. The American Economics Association (AEA) was the first to start this initiative. Currently, there are five of such associations four are located in developed countries (US, UK, Canada and Australia) and one in China; (i) United States The Committee for the Advancement of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP) was formed in 1973; (ii) Canada The Canadian Women Economists (CWEN) was establised in 1990; (iii) UK The Royal Economic Society's Women's Committee (RESCWE) was founded in 1996; (iv) Australia Committee for Women in Economics (CWE) was formed in 2002; and (iv) China (The Chinese Women Economists Network (CHWEN) was established in 2003. These organizations sponsor technical/mentoring workshops, provide travel grants for members to attend conferences, and provide fellowships, internships and dissertation/research grants to women in the network. 2

The lack of female representation in the Economics profession is even more pervasive in African countries, and especially in academia. For example, the Economics Department at the University of Burundi has 15 male faculty members and no female faculty member; the Economics Department at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana also has 18 male faculty members and no female members; and women constitute only 10% (3 women and 27 men) of the Economics Department faculty at the University of Dar es Salaam. Clearly there is a need for a professional association like those discussed above, to help address the dearth of African women economists and enhance their professional development. The Association for the Advancement of African Women Economists (AAAWE) fills this need. AAAWE is a not-for-profit International Professional Association that aims to advance the scholarship of African women economists by creating opportunities for networking and mentoring, providing research grants and fellowships to members and facilitating the creation and the sharing of knowledge among members. These AAAWE activities are geared towards facilitating the scholarship of female economists who live in Africa, in particular, students (undergraduate and graduate), female faculty in Economics Departments in African Universities, and economists working in Government agencies and think tanks in Africa. Project Objectives and Intervention Strategies Objective 1: Encourage more women to pursue PhD degrees in Economics and in Economics related fields such as Public Policy. Intervention Strategies: Strategy 1: Organize a mentoring /informational workshop about the graduate school application process and the employment opportunities available to women economists. The participants are women enrolled in the MA and MPhil programs in universities in Ghana. About 40 women are expected to participate. About 15 of the women will be selected from The University of Ghana Economic Policy Management Program, sponsored by ACBF. The workshop will be held in Ghana, on July 23, 2013. Strategy 2: Provide grants to African-based women pursuing graduate studies in Universities in Africa for the 2013-14, academic year. Objective 2: Enhance the capacity of Africa-based women economists to produce high quality research. Encourage collaborations between women economists in Africa and economists in the diaspora. Intervention Strategies: Strategy 1: Organize a two-day technical/mentoring workshop in Ghana, July 22-July 23, 2013. Strategy 2: Invite two Africa-based AAAWE members to spend about 5 months (one semester) at a University in the US working with a mentor on a research project. The researcher will have access to library facilities, participate in seminars and audit classes that may be relevant to their research. The visit is expected to occur during the 2013-14 academic year. 3

Objective 3: Increase the visibility of the research conducted by African women economists. Intervention Strategies: Strategy 1: Organize four sessions at the African Econometric Society (AES) conference for AAAWE members to present their research. The conference will be held in Ghana, from July 24-26, 2013. Strategy 2: Publish some of the papers presented at the AES conference as a Special Issue of an international peer reviewed journal, by April 2014. Strategy 3: By April 2014, the AAAWE website will be enhanced to enable members to post their research papers and obtain feedback from other (network) AAAWE members. Objective 4: Facilitate the professional development of AAAWE members by creating opportunities for research collaborations, networking, mentoring, the dissemination of information, knowledge sharing, creating links with the international academic community and expanding job opportunities for AAAWE members. Intervention Strategies: Strategy 1: By April 2014, the AAAWE website will be enhanced to enable AAAWE members to conduct an online search for network members working in their research area to serve as mentors, co-authors or to provide feedback for their work. In addition, job announcements, call for papers and other relevant information will be posted at the website. Strategy 2: By April 2014, an online comprehensive database will be developed that will permit outsiders, in particular, prospective employers to obtain the professional profiles of AAAWE members (e.g., such as country of residence, research area, professional affiliation, etc.). Objective 5: Increase the awareness of AAAWE in African countries and promote (in-country) interaction between female economists in specific countries. Intervention Strategies: Strategy 1: Set up local branches of AAAWE in South Africa and Kenya by April 2014. Strategy 2: use various media sources in Ghana to promote AAAWE activities during the AES conference in July 2013. 3. Alignment of Project to FICAD Goals/Justification The project builds the capacity of Africa-based women economists by providing training, mentoring and networking opportunities for the women. The project is innovational and catalytic. The project is also novel it is the first project that focuses exclusively on building the capacity of women economists in Africa. As pointed out in the introduction, such efforts have been initiated in only five countries in the world. Another important point is that the activities of the other five women s network described in the introduction target women from specific countries: Australia, Canada, China, UK and the US. In contrast, the activities for the proposed project are more inclusive they encompass women from several countries. 4

The project is also catalytic in that it will encourage African women to pursue graduate degrees in Economics, train African women economists to produce research that is of international quality, provide opportunities for African women economists to engage with economists outside Africa, and increase the visibility of African women economists in the economics profession. The project is expected to be successful for the following reasons. AAAWE has a good track record in managing research grants, organizing mentoring/technical workshops and organizing sessions at professional conferences. AAAWE received a grant from ACBF in June 2012 to organize a pre-conference mentoring workshop and sessions at the African Econometric Society (AES) conference in Uganda. Professor Elizabeth Asiedu, the president and founder of AAAWE and a Professor of Economics at the University of Kansas successfully managed the project. There were 26 participants from 16 countries. The workshop was featured on TV and also in the local newspaper.see the appendix for comments from the participants. Also see http://www.aaawe.org for more information about the conference. Professor Asiedu also organized a mentoring workshop at the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) biannual workshop in December 2011. The keynote speaker was Dr. Frannie Leautier, the Executive Secretary of ACBF. Professor Asiedu has organized several sessions at high-level academic conferences, such as the American Economic Association (AEA) conference which is the largest conference in the Economics profession. In addition, Professor Asiedu is actively involved in CSWEP the networking association for women economists in the US. She has served as a mentor for several junior economists in the US and received several teaching and mentoring awards at the University of Kansas, including The Woman of Distinction Award and Outstanding Woman Educator Award (http://people.ku.edu/~asiedu/awards-honors). Finally, Professor Asiedu has significant experience in managing Economics Professional Associations. She was the President of The African Finance Economics Association (AFEA) from 2011-2012 and Vice President of AFEA from 2008-2010. She currently serves on the Board of AFEA. She was also an Associate Editor for the Journal of African Economies. 4. Project Implementation and Management Plan Project Activities, Description and Timeline The process for selecting participants for the various activities will be competitive. Applicants will submit an online application. Preference will be given to applicants from fragile states and francophone countries. Professor Elizabeth Asiedu will be responsible for planning and managing the project. Activity 1: Organize a workshop for female Ghanaian students that are enrolled in masters programs in Economics. Description/Outcome: Provide information about PhD programs in Economics and Public Policy in universities in African countries and abroad, discuss employment opportunities for 5

economists, balancing family and work, etc. This may motivate the women to enroll in PhD programs. About 40 women are expected to participate. Date: July 23, 2013 Activity 2: Organize a technical workshop for 20 African women economists. Description/Outcome: The workshop will target women teaching in Universities or working at Research Institutions or Think Tanks in Africa. There will be four senior economists from abroad who will serve as resource persons. Each resource person will be assigned to work closely with five participants. Participants will present a research paper based on their current research and will receive feedback from their mentors. In addition, participants will be exposed to new techniques in economic modeling and econometrics, and they will learn about the knots and bolts of the publication process in the Economics Profession. The workshop will improve the quality of research produced by the participants and create opportunities for networking. Date: July 22-July 23, 2013. Activity 3: Organize four sessions at the AES conference in Ghana. Description/Outcome: About 20-25 AAAWE members will present their research at an international scholarly conference. This will increase the visibility of their research. In addition, feedback from conference participants may help improve the quality of the papers. Date: July 24-July 26, 2013. Activity 4: Provide scholarships for three Africa-based members to pursue graduate studies in Economics at a University in Africa. Description/Outcome: This will defray the cost of education and may encourage more women to pursue graduate studies in Economics. In addition it will address the pipeline issue discussed in the introduction. Date: September 2013-April 2014 Activity 5: Visiting scholars program Description/Outcome: Two African-based AAAWE members teaching at a University in Africa will spend about 5 months (one semester) as a visiting scholar working with a mentor at a University in the US. The scholar will have access to the research facilities provided by the host University (libraries, journals, computing services) and also have an opportunity to participate in seminars. Dates: June 2013-April 2014 Activity 6: Journal Publication Description/Outcome: Research papers authored by AAAWE members will be published in a Special Issue of an international scholarly journal. This effort will raise the visibility of the research conducted by AAAWE members. Date: August 2013-April 2014 6

Activity 7: Set up local branches of AAAWE in South Africa and Kenya. Description/Outcome: Will work with AAAWE members in South Africa and Kenya to set up local branches. This will make more women aware of the services provided AAAWE and cause them to utilize these services. In addition, it will promote in-country interaction among women economists. Date: June 2013-April 2014 Activity 8: Enhance and maintain the AAAWE website. Description/Outcome: The AAAWE website will be enhanced to make it easily accessible and also include features such as a searchable database. This will enable AAAWE members to conduct an online search for network members working in their research area. In addition, job announcements, call for papers and other related relevant information will be posted at the website. The general public, (e.g. prospective employers) will be able to obtain the professional profiles of AAAWE members. This will open up professional opportunities for AAAWE members. Date: May 2013-April 2014 Background Information about AAAWE AAAWE is a not-for-profit International Professional Association and it is the first and only organization that focuses on building the capacity and skills of African Women Economists. AAAWE was established in March 2012. Membership is open to all genders. Any individual interested in the advancement of African women economists may be a member of AAAWE. There are three categories of membership. Core Student Members: African women economists living in Africa or in the Diaspora who are students. Core Regular Members: African women economists living in Africa or in the Diaspora who are not students. Associate Members: Those who do not qualify as either Core Regular Members or Core Student Members. Note that African women economists constitute the core members of the association and all other members are considered to be non-core. As at March 2013, there are 535 members representing 44 countries; 439 of the members are African women economists. Furthermore, 352 of the members are women economists that reside in Africa. The breakdown of membership by country is included in Table 1 in the appendix. For more information about AAAWE, see http://www.aaawe.org Source of Funding: AAAWE does not have any financial support. Members do not pay dues, partly because most of members (about 97 percent) live in Africa. The organization has so far been financed by a personal loan. AAAWE is seeking financial assistance to support its activities. 7

5. Project Monitoring and Evaluation The project will be supervised and managed by the President of AAAWE, Professor Elizabeth Asiedu. In addition, experienced and well-qualified personnel will be hired to ensure that the project is implemented as scheduled. This includes an administrative/program assistant and someone to design and maintain the website. The firm in charge of AAAWE legal issues (The law office of David J. Brown, LC, 1040 New Hampshire Street L aw rence, K S 6 accountant that oversees AAAWE s finances (Terry Garret, CPA, 1811 Wakarusa Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66049) will also assist with this effort. Summary of Activities: Mentoring/Technical workshops, scholarships for graduate studies, visiting scholars program, journal publication, and a well designed website. Expected Outcomes 1. Participants at the mentoring/technical workshop will learn about graduate economics programs in African countries and abroad, employment opportunities for economists, balancing family and work, etc. They will also be exposed to new techniques in economic modeling and econometrics. 2. About 20 AAAWE members will present their research at the AES conference in Ghana, July 24-July 26, 2013. 3. Three African-based AAAWE members will receive scholarships to pursue graduate studies in Economics at a University in Africa. 4. Two AAAWE African-based members will spend about 5 months as visiting scholars at a University in the US. 5. Research papers authored by AAAWE members will be published in a Special Issue of an international scholarly peer-reviewed journal. 6. Local branches of AAAWE will be established in South Africa and Kenya. 7. The AAAWE website will be enhanced to include important features such as a searchable and comprehensive database that is easy to navigate. Project Evaluation Participants will fill out a questionnaire to indicate whether they benefited from the project activities (mentoring & technical workshops, AES conference, visiting scholars program). They will also provide suggestions for improvements for future activities. AAAWE will remain in contact with the participants to track their professional development and continue to provide support for the participants. The three recipients of the graduate school grants will be required to send copies of their academic transcripts and letters from their supervisors. The Research scholars will be required to submit a report about the their visit and also submit a letter from their mentors detailing how the time was spent. The local branches will be asked to submit a summary of their activities since it was established. A survey will be conducted among network members to determine the functionality of the website and whether it meets their standards. Reporting time line The duration of the project is from May 1, 2013-May 1, 2014. Three reports (two interim and one final) will be submitted to ACBF. The first report will be submitted by September 15, 2013 8

(six weeks after the workshop) and will pertain to outcomes 1 and 2. The second report will be filed by April 30, 2014 and will cover outcomes 3 to 8. The final and comprehensive report will be submitted by June 30, 2014. 6. Budget Activity 1. Mentoring/Informational Workshop for 40 female Ghanaian masters students, July 23, 2013. Total Cost: $2400 Justification/Explanation: Cost includes conference package and other miscellaneous costs (e.g., media, printing of program, notes for participants, etc). Details attached. Activity 2. Technical Workshop. July 22-23, 2013. For 20 participants and 4 international resource persons. Total Cost: $61, 880 Justification/Explanation: A total of 20 women will participate in the workshop with a breakdown as follows: 5 women from Ghana and 15 from outside Ghana. The 5 women from Ghana will be fully funded by ACBF. Since the live in Ghana, their expenses will not include airline tickets. The AES plans to sponsor 5 women to attend the conference. Thus, the AES will pay their airline ticket. ACBF will cover the cost associated with the two-day workshop. The remaining 10 non-ghanaian participants will be fully sponsored by ACBF.. The AES expects to sponsor about 5 women to attend the conference from July 24-July 26th. ACBF will sponsor these women to participate in the workshop, and will cover their expenses for the workshop. Travel and other related expenses for the four international resource persons; Professor Asiedu and the administrative assistant/event coordinator. Activity 3. AES conference, July 24-26. Total Cost: $18, 110 Justification/Explanation: ACBF will sponsor 55 women to attend the conference. 40 of the women are graduate students from Ghana (Activity 1) and 15 are from the technical workshop (Activity 2). The 15 women will be presenting papers at the conference. Their mentors (resource persons) will be at the conference to observe their presentations. The cost includes conference registration, hotel, per diem, and transportation (see excel file for details). Other costs related to Activities 1-3. Total Cost: $4, 400 Justification/Explanation: Professor Asiedu and the administrative assistant will spend an extra 10 days in Ghana to handle the logistics for the conference/ workshop. They will arrive a week before the workshop and stay for three days after the conference. 9

Activity 4. Scholarships/grants for three Africa-based members to pursue graduate studies in Economics in an African country. Total Cost: $6, 000 Justification/Explanation: $2000 per student. Activity 5. Research visit by twoafrica-based AAAWE members to the US to work with a mentor abroad. Total Cost: $38, 800 Justification/Explanation: Includes round trip ticket, living expenses and miscellaneous expenses (visa, health insurance) for the researchers. The mentor will spend a significant amount of time supervising the researcher. The honorarium for the mentor is $1000. Activity 6. Journal Publication Total Cost: $17, 000 Justification/Explanation: This is the quote provided The Journal of African Development. The African Development Review charges $20,000. Activity 7. Local branches in South Africa and Kenya Total Cost: $2000 Justification/Explanation: This includes registration fees and some funds to sponsor some of the activities of the local branches. Activity 8. Website & online database Total Cost: $12000 Justification/Explanation: This includes the fees for the person who will develop and maintain the database, software, subscription fees, etc. Other costs Honorarium for four resource persons: $1500 per person. This project requires a significant time commitment on the part of the resource persons. First, the resource persons will spend a week in Ghana. Second, the workshop is intensive all day for two days. Furthermore, each resource person will be assigned five mentees and the mentors are expected to review the research paper of each mentee and provide feedback. Finally, the resource persons are expected to work with their mentees after the workshop is over to help them to publish their paper. Project Management: $56,000 Professor Asiedu will manage the project. She will coordinate the workshop/conference activities in Ghana, work with the website developer, coordinate the visiting scholars program, oversee the journal publication and supervise the project coordinator. Professor Asiedu has a full time job at the University of Kansas (KU) where her responsibilities include teaching, research, supervising PhD dissertations and providing service to KU. For example, she will spend the summer organizing the mentoring/technical workshop and therefore cannot teach in summer. If she were 10

to teach one course in summer, her salary will be $27,000. The $20,000 requested in the budget will enable her to reduce her teaching load and/or obtain assistance with her professional responsibilities, e.g., teaching and research assistance. This is standard for Professors who apply for grants. For example, National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Health (NIH) grants typically provide funds equivalent to two course buyouts, which is about $50,000 to $60,000. For more information see http://www.nsf.gov An Administrative assistant/program coordinator will be hired to coordinate the project. His or her responsibilities will include keeping records, assisting with filing reports, coordinating the activities, and corresponding with the people involved in the projects. The $3000 per month requested in the budget is the gross payment and does not include benefits. He/she will have to pay the employer related taxes, which is about 40% of the gross salary, $1200. In addition, he/she will have to pay for health insurance, which is about $300 per month and also employee taxes, which is about 10-15 % of salary. Thus the net pay is about $1200 per month. This is less than $15 per hour for a half-time position. The administrative assistant will need a computer to carry out his/her responsibilities. Miscellaneous costs associated with the project: $11,304 (5% of project expenditure) This includes the cost for office supplies, accounting software to track expenses, phone calls, fees for a professional accountant and attorney fees (to ensure proper reporting to ACBF and The Internal Revenue Service); etc. 7. What obstacles and risks will face the project? The risk of the project is minimal. AAAWE has experience in organizing conferences and workshops. With regards to the conference/workshop related activities in Ghana, AAAWE will work closely with the AES conference committee. Furthermore, Ms. Abena Oduro, the second Vice President of AAAWE and senior lecturer at the University of Ghana will coordinate the activities in Ghana. For the visiting scholars program, two universities have agreed to participate: The University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Professor Asiedu is in communication with the editors of African Development Review and the Journal of African Development (JAD) about publishing research papers authored by AAAWE members as a special issue. 8. Conclusion The proposed project builds the capacity of Africa-based women economists and facilitates their professional development by providing training, mentoring and networking opportunities for the women. In addition, the project offers opportunities for African women economists to disseminate their research and also interact with economists that reside outside Africa. The project is catalytic and innovational and is line with ACBF s commitment to fostering women s empowerment in Africa. 11

Appendix Comments from Participants who attended the mentoring workshop organized by AAAWE and presented papers at the AES in Uganda n July 2013. Luhanga, Malawi I would like to thank you for what you have done into my life. I'm really glad that finally my eyes have seen you. I have been looking forward to meeting you all day long, Just imagine, I didn't know that you were around during the presentations. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to present at international conference like this. I'm no longer the same now. I'm happy now that I have presented something at international level, this is one of my greatest achievements and will be part of my CV. Experience gained will even be shared with my fellows in Malawi. This is my first time to attend an international conference and I'm learning a lot. Its quiet interesting to meet different economists from different parts of Africa. I'm really happy interacting and networking with different economists in Africa. I'm enjoying the conference so much, its really an eye opener and is answering most questions I had regarding econometrics and policies in Africa. After the presentations, during tea break, I met Professor Trivedi and Muthoni, a PhD student from U.S.A and commended my paper and advised if I can add more variables to my socioeconomic data to account for variations between members and non members. I was also advised to use propensity score matching for the data analysis. This has made me to start thinking of using the same paper for my masters degree. As soon as I get scholarship, I will develop the same paper as recommended. Timba, Cameroon It was a great pleasure for me to attend to the workshop and the AES conference. I sincerely thank you for your trust. Thanks to your trust, I have a better esteem of myself and I dream to make great things, I believe in me, I believe that everything is possible, even for me. Thank you so much. I will do my best in everything I try, on every opportunity. Elfried, Benin It was a very important and awesome experience for a young woman economist as me seeking to earn a PhD. degree in the future. I wish this project will last very long and go higher and higher and also that we'll soon have so much fund that you will have to realize such event more often and with the participation of more women also. Eme, Nigeria I had a rewarding experience at the mentoring workshop in Uganda. Specifically, I learnt how to write a good CV, how to write a good research proposal, balancing profession and family life, and how my published works can be circulated for public use. I also presented a paper and got good comments, which will improve the work. I met and interacted with women from other parts of the world who motivated me and have stirred me up to greater heights. I look forward to more of such outings. 12

Bernie, Namibia As a PhD student, it was a great opportunity for me to learn how to write a publishable journal articles. Furthermore, I was introduced to websites and networks for circulating my working papers. It also amazing to know that as a member of AAAWE, my work can be circulated at the AAAWE website. As a woman I also acquired some useful tips on how balance my profession and family life. At the African Econometrics Society (AES) Conference, which was my first International Conference, I presented a paper, and that was an awesome experience. I interacted and formed new networks, which I hope to tap on. Also, I had an opportunity to be a member of the first Think Tank for Africa Policy dialogue, which held its deliberation on July 28, 2012. I chaired the group that dealt with financial sector reform and fiscal policy. My sincere thanks to Prof. E. Asiedu for nominating me to these awesome platforms as well as for the funding by the African Development Bank. Eurydice, Cameroon As a PhD candidate, attending both the mentoring workshop and the AES conference was a fulfilling experience for me. It was a good opportunity for me to learn how to write a good CV, how to write publishable journal articles as well as how to write a good research proposal. I am an economist but first of all I am a woman and I acquired very useful tips on balancing career and family life. I also learnt how to circulate my works for public use and the presentation at the AES conference was a good experience. I met and interacted with people from different parts of the world and specifically women economists and formed new network. Thanks to this meeting, I have many examples to follow such as Prof Aseidu, Prof Kamgnia, Prof Juliet Elu and Prof Janet Olatundun and so on. I would like to thank Prof Aseidu for giving me this opportunity and ACBF and AFDB for supporting this initiative. This experience was very rewarding and I hope AAAWE will receive more funds to organize more such events. Muthoni, South Africa The conference was an excellent opportunity to meet with fellow female opportunities and learn from their experiences. Thanks to Prof. Asiedu for her hard work in organizing the conference and the AFDB for funding the session. Asia, Sudan For me as a young researcher is a challenge to attend an international conference mainly due to financial disability. By Joining AAAWE I was able to participate in the 17th Conference of the African Econometric Society (AES). It is a great opportunity that allows me to interact with young researchers, senior women economist and AES national scholars. During the coffee break I had the chance to talk to Professor Elizabeth Asiedu, the president of the AAAWE about my interest in the area of the economics of climate change she immediately introduce me to Dr Malokele Nanivazo a research fellow at UNU-WIDER who gave me the chance to meet her college Dr Yongfu, from there an effective networking start. Also I had direct conversation with Professor Victor Murinde the director of the African Development Institute (ADI) and Professor Bernadett from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) about the available opportunities in their institutions, they are many and promising. Topics covered at the workshop are of great benefits to career development. Many lessons were learned from Professor Elizabeth Asiedu,, Professor Juliet Elu, Dr. Sarah Ssewanyana, Professor Janet Olatundun, Professor 13

Bernadette Kamgnia and Dr. Joy Kiru. I hope for this Association to find the suitable environment to grow and produce fruitful opportunities. 14

Table 1. Breakdown of AAAWE members by country and membership type Country of Residence All members African Women Economists (Core) Core Core Regular Total Students (Non-Student) All Countries 535 190 211 401 134 African Countries 439 155 197 352 87 Benin 6 0 6 6 0 Botswana 12 3 8 11 1 Burkina Faso 8 4 1 5 3 Burundi 2 0 2 2 0 Cameroon 26 13 8 21 5 Cote D'Ivoire 2 1 0 1 1 Egypt 8 0 8 8 0 Ethiopia 6 0 4 4 2 Ghana 68 45 7 52 16 Guinea 2 0 1 1 1 Kenya 43 18 20 38 5 Lesotho 2 0 2 2 0 Liberia 1 0 1 1 0 Madagascar 1 0 1 1 0 Malawi 14 5 8 13 1 Mauritius 1 0 0 0 1 Mozambique 18 3 10 13 5 Namibia 5 2 2 4 1 Nigeria 60 21 23 44 16 Rwanda 6 1 3 4 2 Senegal 8 5 3 8 0 Sierra Leone 1 1 0 1 0 Somalia 1 0 1 1 0 South Africa 43 21 17 38 5 Sudan 1 0 1 1 0 Swaziland 10 1 8 9 1 Tanzania 11 2 6 8 3 Tunisia 25 1 17 18 7 Uganda 41 6 26 32 9 Zambia 2 0 2 2 0 Associate Members (Non-Core Members) 15

Zimbabwe 5 2 1 3 2 Other Countries 96 35 14 49 47 Australia 1 0 0 0 1 Belgium 1 0 0 0 1 Canada 9 1 4 5 4 Finland 3 1 1 2 1 France 8 5 3 8 0 Germany 2 1 1 2 0 Italy 2 2 0 2 0 Japan 2 1 0 1 1 Kuwait 1 1 0 1 0 Netherlands 3 2 0 2 1 Switzerland 2 0 0 0 2 United Kingdom 10 6 0 6 4 United States 52 15 5 20 32 16