GETSPA Hosts Progress Review Meeting on Debt Crisis Research

GETSPA Hosts Progress Review Meeting on Debt Crisis Research 

The Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy for Post-COVID-19 Africa (GETSPA) project recently convened a progress review meeting on its Debt Crisis Research initiative. The meeting featured presentations from researchers undertaking research on Egypt, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana, Tunisia, and Malawi underscoring the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the project. The event is part of ongoing efforts to address Africa's debt crisis through collaborative research and policy recommendations by GETSPA, IDEAS, Open Society Foundations, and the Institute of African Studies of the University of Ghana. 

The meeting began with an introduction of members of the expanded Technical Committee for GETSPA by Professor Nana Akua Anyidoho, a co-Principal Investigator, followed by an overview of the Debt Crisis Research by Professor Dzodzi Tsikata, the Principal Investigator of GETSPA. She mentioned that GETSPA’s goal in commissioning a series of papers on the debt crisis affecting various African countries is to contribute to discussions about the reform of the global financial architecture, how we see debt, debt restructuring, and transformative social policy.  

Researchers working on Mozambique and Egypt initiated the first round of presentations on ‘The impact of debt on early marital unions and early pregnancies in Mozambique’ and ‘Social Policy and Period-Scapes in Egypt.’ The second set of presentations was on ‘Public Debt Crisis, Economic Vulnerability and Their Implications for Social Policy in Kenya’ and ‘Transformative Social Policy in a Time of Crisis: Lessons from Ghana.’ The final set of presentations was on the topics, ‘The Malawi Debt Crisis and FISP Conundrum: Implications for Social Policy in a Developing Country Context’ and ‘Debt and Social Policy in Tunisia.’  

The discussions that followed each set of presentations offered valuable feedback and fostered an exchange of ideas among the participants and the GETSPA technical committee.  

The following is a list of the researchers: 

Samuel Munanu Mwangi - Department of Sociology, Gender and Development Studies at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. 

Amira Mahmoud Othman - American University in Cairo 

Aslak Orre - Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway 

Carmeliza de Rosario - Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway 

Emmanuel A. Codjoe - Department of Economics, University of Ghana 

Eyob Balcha Gebremariam - Perivoli Africa Research Centre, University of Bristol 

George T. Mudimu - Marondera University of Agricultural Science and Technology  

Kofi Takyi Asante - Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana 

Loveness Msofi Mgalamadzi - Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) in the Extension Department. 

Marion Ouma - South Africa Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) on Social Policy at the University of South Africa 

Mouna Ben Othman - École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales de Tunis (ESSECT) 

The meeting concluded with a final discussion session, supportive feedback from members of the GETSPA technical committee and closing remarks by Professor Anyidoho.