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Paper short abstract:

Understanding the pathway through which weather shocks impact child labour is crucial. This paper analyzes the impact of rainfall shocks on child labour . Rainfall shock impact on child labour through adult labour, and this varies across states with differing levels of gender inequality.

Paper long abstract:

Understanding the pathway through which weather shocks impact child labour is crucial for effective policy formulation. This pathway may involve a direct impact of weather shocks on child labour, an indirect influence through its effects on adult labour or a simultaneous impact both directly and indirectly. This paper analyzes the impact of exogenous rainfall and temperature shocks on child labour employing the Sequential g-estimation model. I employed a panel of household data on smallholder farmers in rural Nigeria spanning the years 2012-2018 combined with high-resolution weather data from Climatic Research Unit Time Series version 4.05 (CRU TS v. 4.05) and information on gender norms from Afrobarometer and the DHS. The findings of this study show that most of the children are involved in on-farm activities, with more boys in on-farm employment, whereas girls dominate in off-farm employment. Deficit shock significantly increased the on-farm labour supply for boys through the mediating channel (adult labour in hours per week) and significantly increased more for the boys in gender-unequal states. On the other hand, excessive rainfall shock significantly increased the off-farm labour supply for girls in gender-equal states and a decrease in gender-unequal states. This suggests that the girl child in gender-unequal states are confined by the norms to be home and engage in household chores. Excessive rainfall shock had no significant impact on the on-farm labour supply for both boys and girls. These results show the varying impact of rainfall shocks on child labour across states with differing levels of gender inequality.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to provide extensive empirical evidence on the interaction of armed conflict events and early life health outcomes. We will focus on rural households directly affected by conflict events during agricultural seasons. Results may help with guidelines on appropriate policy.

Paper long abstract:

Armed conflicts linked to political agitations and cross-communal frictions have existed for generations. Within-country armed conflict contexts are commonly associated with economic control of natural resources – such as crude oil and coal – and religious agitations amongst others (Adelaja and George 2019; George et al. 2021; Nnaji et al. 2023). While this remains a persistent issue across countries, there has been an upsurge in the intensity and coverage of armed conflicts in recent years. This project aims to examine the relationship between early life exposure to conflict events and the health outcomes of children in Nigeria. We will use data on child nutritional health outcomes in the Living Standard Measurement Study – Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS–ISA) and conflict data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) Project to investigate the impact of conflict events with a particular focus on Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM). FEM conflict has a long history in West Africa with increasing frequency and geographical spread in Nigeria. Our identification strategies will exploit the varying spatial and temporal distribution of conflict events across Nigeria to build evidence on the health impacts of conflict. More importantly, we will explore the Agricultural and Household panel surveys from LSMS–ISA to unravel the agricultural productivity and nutrition pathways between conflict exposure to anthropometric health outcomes. The research also seeks to build unique empirical evidence on the in-utero (indirect) and contemporaneous (direct) conflict transmissions. Our results will have direct policy implications for targeted policy on maternal and child health.

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Paper short abstract:

Navigating between value chains and emergency aid after the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in 2023, how is SIPRA grappling with community resilience, fostering local peace, and engaging with donor constraints amid an ever-changing protracted crisis in Sudan?

Paper long abstract:

Within the protracted crisis context in Sudan, the project “Strengthening Inclusive Partnerships for Smallholders in Rain-fed Areas” (SIPRA) was originally designed in 2022 to improve household food and nutrition security through sustainable, resilient, and fair economic development of smallholders and SMEs in the rain-fed agriculture areas in Darfur and South Kordofan. However, with the outbreak of conflict between the SAF and RSF in April 2023, the project had to adapt to an increasingly complex operating and access scenario, as well as changing perceptions, priorities and needs amongst project participants in intervention areas. The extent of the conflict moved the focus of the project to fast adaptive programme management and how programming could relate to root causes of conflict; moving from building value chains to emergency aid with the hope that value chain development would be possible after the harvest.

However, how has programming accounted for community adaptation to the recent outbreak of conflict? Has conflict sensitivity been adhered to (and how) given the political complexity of certain individuals, companies and organizations becoming affiliated with armed groups? How has adaptive programme management functioned in theory vs practice? And how has this all been affected by donor engagement and constraints given the multiplicity of crises around the world currently?

Data is drawn from existing food system resilience assessments, project participants, project staff, and other stakeholders. This would function as one of the learning journeys proposed in the project, and translate into policy recommendations.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the limitations of climate finance in South Africa. It questions the idea behind climate finance and demonstrates that its implementation is divorced from existential realities of communities as it imagines and treats these citizens as passive victims rather than active agents.

Paper long abstract:

The human cost of climate change induced flooding in rural South Africa is well documented. However, there is a dearth of scholarship that explores post-flooding adaptation and resilience building at local community level. Informed by empirical evidence from Port St Johns Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, this paper explores the limitations of piecemeal and reactionary climate finance in addressing underlying vulnerability drivers, recovery and resilience of communities at the coalface of the flooding crisis. Not only does the paper question the idea and thinking behind climate finance but goes further to demonstrate that its genesis, understanding and implementation in the rural South African climate programming space is divorced from the existential realities of communities as it imagines and treats these citizens as passive victims rather than active agents in adaptation and resilience building. Further, the disconnect between public (government) and private (NGOs) socio-political and financial interests in post-flooding relief and recovery efforts partly explains why there is no sustainable and long-term resilience action plan. While not claiming to advance a panacea intervention, the paper argues that climate finance should not be differentiated from ‘traditional’ development finance at local government level as this inadvertently relegates it to a secondary budgetary and local development item. Instead, it should be part of local integrated development planning and budgeting as this will place climate programming at the center of local development implementation.

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Paper short abstract:

The study underscores the need for a paradigm shift in Nigerian security operations, urging the integration of climate-sensitive approaches to address the interconnected issues of security, climate change, and environmental sustainability for lasting peacebuilding.

Paper long abstract:

Nigeria is currently confronted with severe security challenges in all of its geopolitical zones, resulting in significant loss of life and property. The interconnectedness of these conflicts with climate change-induced scarcity is highlighted in this study, which is an important but often overlooked aspect. Resource scarcity conflicts are exacerbated by climate change effects in regions such as the northwest, northeast, and northcentral. Climate-sensitive responses to these security challenges are lacking, with non-state violent actors exploiting natural environments and turning forests into battlegrounds. Air strikes and landmines, for example, have had little regard for environmental consequences, resulting in severe soil depletion and the extinction of valuable flora and fauna. Also, security forces fighting illegal refining operations in the Niger Delta disregard the environmental toll of crude oil spills caused by the destruction of illegal refining sites and vessels. While these security operations may achieve their objectives, they cause collateral damage to the environment and disrupt livelihoods. According to the study, the frequent omission of environmental considerations in security strategies is costly because conflict and climate change-induced scarcity are inextricably linked. Failure to incorporate climate-friendly approaches exacerbates conflicts, driving people to engage in environmentally hazardous behaviours. The study emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in Nigerian security operations, urging the incorporation of climate-sensitive approaches.

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Paper short abstract:

This research aims to examine the impact of climate change on crop production in Nigeria. It also looks at how factors connected to climate change affect crop yield. It is expected that the climate change proxies in the study will have a negative relationship with crop production in Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

In the context of any economy, crop production is fundamental to human survival. This study explores the important topic of how climate change is negatively affecting Nigeria's crop production.

Currently, a wide gap exists between overall food crop production and Nigeria‘s growing population, with food production increasing arithmetically and the population increasing geometrically. The country's rapidly growing population, unchecked, is anticipated to drive increased energy consumption, heightened carbon emissions, and potentially adverse effects on agricultural output.

Over time, releasing greenhouse gases has led to a warmer climate, resulting in extreme weather conditions such as floods, cyclones, droughts, and heat waves. These conditions impact food production in the country.

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the correlation between climate change and crop production in Nigeria, utilizing rainfall, temperature, carbon dioxide, and humidity as proxies for climate change. Climate change distorts seasonal cycles and also modifies temperature and precipitation patterns, which exacerbates food security problems that negatively influence socioeconomic conditions and changing environmental conditions. The climate crisis will strain the economy and peace, making peacebuilding in conflict-prone and already-affected areas more difficult.

Global warming and its effects on the environment pose risks to humankind. For example, the competition for limited resources, like clean water and arable land for food, is uprooting entire communities, upsetting society, and intensifying already-existing conflicts while sparking new ones.

The study examines the data gathered using both descriptive and inferential techniques, offering insights into the intricate relationship between crop output in Nigeria and climate change.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to examine the interplay between climate change, environmental degradation, and armed conflict, seeking to unveil the dynamics that intertwine these issues. We explore the adverse impacts of climate change on human security in the most vulnerable countries to global warming.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change is expected to have far-reaching impacts on the availability of freshwater, the productivity of soils, and the distribution of human settlements. However, the exact nature and extent of these changes remain uncertain. Of particular concern are the potential effects of global warming on resource scarcity and the risk of violent conflict. This study aims to investigate the linkages between climate change, environmental degradation, and armed conflict, with a focus on the 20 most vulnerable countries in the world and in Africa. Using a pooled mean group (PMG) approach, annual time-series data from the World Bank's Development Indicators database between 1990 and 2019 will be analyzed to identify any significant associations between climate change and armed conflict. By shedding light on these complex relationships, this study seeks to inform policy decisions and contribute to efforts aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change on human security.

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Paper short abstract:

This paper will identify patterns and discern the impact of defense spending on economic progress and societal fairness in the N-11 Economies. It will contribute valuable insight to the discourse on international affairs and provide a lens through which policy makers can take informed decisions.

Paper long abstract:

In a rapidly evolving global landscape, the N-11 economies represent a diverse group of emerging nations facing complex challenges. This paper will identify patterns and discern the impact of defense spending on both economic progress and societal fairness in the N-11 Economies. The primary objective is to elucidate how the allocation of resources to defense impacts both economic development and societal fairness over time. By employing quantitative methodologies, such as regression and correlation analyses, the research seeks to discern patterns and variations within the N-11 economies. The study collects panel data for the N-11 economies between 1990 and 2020 from the World Bank’s World Development Indicator (WDI) archive (2021) to calculate the panel regression. This study will not only contribute valuable insight to the discourse on international affairs but also provide a lens through which policy makers can take informed decisions taking note of the constant increase in insecurity in the nation on a day-to-day basis.

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Paper short abstract:

This study is titled "Peace Accounting, Security, and Economic Growth of Nigeria". Its goal is to understand the dynamics and interactions between Nigeria's economic growth, security, and peace accounting. It looks deeper to see whether this relationship will be positive or negative.

Paper long abstract:

The Nigerian economy appears to be in a vulnerable state right now. The economy of the country has had difficulty growing and surviving after going through two recessions in the last ten years. For example, during the fourth quarter of 2021, Nigeria's GDP grew by approximately 4.0% in real terms, which represents five quarters of growth since the start of the recession in 2020. Nigeria's GDP grew by 3.40 per cent overall in 2021 but shrank to 3.10 per cent in 2022. Nigeria's inability to reach its output quota for OPEC is a result of pipeline damage, oil theft, lack of peace and security concerns. A study on peace accounting, security and economic development of Nigeria can offer an opportunity to contribute to modelling peace accounting, security, and economic matters in the country.

Data from the World Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria's statistical bulletin from 1982 to 2022 were used in the analysis. Regression analysis will be performed on the acquired data. The results of this study will help shape positive outcomes for the nation in the area of policy formulation and provide researchers and scholars with a body of literature that can improve future studies. They will also provide insight into the intricate interactions among peace accounting indices, security, and economic factors.

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Paper short abstract:

This study's primary goal is to investigate the connection between the output of the agricultural sector and climate change in Nigeria. It also examines how variables related to climate change affect the agriculture sector.

Paper long abstract:

This research investigates the intricate interplay between climate change and agricultural sector output, focusing on the impact of climate change factors such as greenhouse gases, temperature, and precipitation. The study extends its analysis to include external factors, namely conflict, oil prices, and the employment ratio, examining their influence on agricultural productivity.

Emphasizing the adverse effects of climate change, particularly extreme weather events like heatwaves and floods, the study delves into challenges faced by the agricultural sector, such as a diminishing labor force due to escalating risks posed by herdsmen attacks on farms. The decline in the agricultural workforce, driven by concerns for worker safety, hampers overall productivity. Additionally, the study explores the anticipated negative correlation between terrorism, violence, and the agriculture industry, foreseeing impediments to industry expansion and threats to farmers' lives.

The research employs a comprehensive framework, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyze the complex links between climate change, conflict, oil prices, employment ratios, and agricultural sector output. The anticipated results aim to offer valuable insights to stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers seeking long-term strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on the agricultural sector.

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Paper short abstract:

An abstract on a research project titled ‘Defense expenditure and economic growth in Nigeria. Lessons from top five defense spenders’. This research aims to discover the relationship between defense expenditure and economic growth be it positive or negative.

Paper long abstract:

The purpose of this study is to look into the connection between Nigeria's economic growth and defense spending. Data on defense spending shows that it has increased over time without any clear cause for this increase. Nigeria's economy hasn't appeared to be growing all that much. Following the 2020 pandemic, Nigeria's GDP progressively decreased from 3.65% to 2.87%. That being said, this research examines the top five defense-spending nations: Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, India, and the United States.

The World Bank, the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria, and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) are only a few of the sources from which this study uses secondary data. Additionally, it emphasizes the use of panel data, taking into account the fact that over the course of 20–25 years, data will be gathered from six different countries. Regression analysis will be utilized in the study to look at the connection between defense spending and economic growth while accounting for other pertinent variables like labor growth. The findings of this investigation will broaden the body of knowledge regarding the correlation between defense spending and economic expansion.

Finding out whether there is a positive or negative correlation between defense spending and economic growth is the main goal of this study. If there is no correlation between them, we look at relevant factors influencing Nigeria's defense budget.

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Paper short abstract:

This research aims to investigate the multifaceted impact of climate change on the tourism industry in East African countries, with a focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The study holds significant academic and social relevance as it addresses the pressing need to understand and mitigate

Paper long abstract:

This research aims to investigate the multifaceted impact of climate change on the tourism industry in East African countries, with a focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The study holds significant academic and social relevance as it addresses the pressing need to understand and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on tourism, a vital economic sector in the region. The purpose of this study is to identify the areas most susceptible to climate change in East Africa, develop strategies to mitigate its impact on tourism and explore opportunities for sustainable tourism development. By doing so, the research seeks to contribute to the creation of employment opportunities, promotion of environmental conservation, and diversification of the economy in these countries.

The problem addressed in this research is the vulnerability of the tourism industry in East African countries to the destabilizing effects of climate change. The heavy dependence of tourism on a stable climate is threatened by the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and other manifestations of climate change. This poses a severe threat to the industry, which in turn affects the livelihoods of those dependent on tourism-related activities. Furthermore, the study addresses the environmental impact of tourism-related emissions, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices to mitigate the industry's carbon footprint.

The study will gather panel from reputable sources such as the Climate Change Knowledge Portal (CCKP) and the World Bank Development Indicators for selected East African Countries. The data spans from 1993 to 2022.

The expected outcome of this research is to provide valuable insights into the specific ways in which climate change is impacting tourism in East African countries. By identifying vulnerable areas and assessing the economic, environmental, and social implications, the study aims to inform the development of targeted strategies to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on tourism. Additionally, the research seeks to highlight opportunities for sustainable tourism development, which can contribute to economic diversification, environmental conservation, and the creation of employment opportunities in the region.

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Paper short abstract:

Our interdisciplinary team delves into the complex dynamics of climate change, conflict, and the environment. Given my expertise, I offer insights into the economic aspects of energy policies, examining their implications for national security and environmental sustainability.

Paper long abstract:

The increasing levels of defence expenditure and arms exports among the top fifteen (15) military spending countries in the world raise significant concerns regarding their environmental implications. As these nations (United States, China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, South Korea, Japan, Ukraine, Italy, Australia, Canada, and Israel) allocate substantial resources to military activities, it becomes crucial to investigate the potential ecological consequences of such investments. The study will further draw out lessons for Nigeria. Understanding the environmental impact of defence spending and arms exports is essential for promoting sustainable development, mitigating climate change, and ensuring responsible decision-making in the context of national security. Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the World Bank will be analysed using the CS-ARDL.