The theme of this workshop -- ‘Rights, Empowerment and Poverty in Africa’ -- is particularly relevant for Zambia, which is yet to see “the so-called trickle down effect from its economic growth”, said Godfrey Hampwaye, Head of the Geography Department, University of Zambia, who welcomed the participants together with Wilma S. Nchito (University of Zambia) and Dan Banik (University of Oslo).
In his opening remarks, Dan Banik especially encouraged the participants to focus on the ‘difficult questions’ of development, including the production of new inequalities. He also emphasized that ANLEP was pleased that several of the workshop papers directly addressed such issues.
During the workshop, around 20 participants from the University of Zambia, the University of Cape Town, Chr. Michelsen Institute (Bergen), and the Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo discussed an extensive set of issues, including power and natural resource governance, the development dilemmas of formalisation, challenges of quality job creation, the impact of aid on democratisation, failures and successes in creating monitoring and accountability mechanisms, exploitation in employment programmes and the contemporary creation of new vulnerabilities under the guise of ‘development interventions’. Special guests included Prof. Evance Kalula and Prof. Chuma Himonga from the University of Cape Town and Mr. Ngosa Chisupa, Deputy Presidential Policy Advisor, Government of Zambia.
Interested in learning more about the workshop and/or future research collaboration between SUM and University of Zambia? If so, please contact ANLEP co-ordinator Leiry Cornejo-Chavez at SUM.