Dr Samuel Obeng contributes to Nigeria's National Budget Roundtable and Panel Discussion
Dr Samuel Obeng contributes to Nigeria's National Budget Roundtable and Panel Discussion
Monday 12 May 2025Dr Samuel Obeng travelled to Covenant University, Nigeria, last month as an invited panellist for the Covenant University Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR) 2025 National Budget Roundtable Conference.
Dr Obeng was accompanied by Professor Franklyn Lisk, Warwick University Co-Academic Director for Africa. The Warwick Africa Hub co-organised the conference, which is held annually as a forum for stakeholders to discuss the role of national budgeting in socio-economic development.
The 2025 National Budget Roundtable and Panel Discussion addressed the theme of “National Budgeting as a critical tool for reducing poverty and Inequalities in the era of energy transitions.”
Attendees in-person and online included students, faculty, and policymakers within and outside Africa, including Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, who delivered the keynote address.
Professor Lisk and Dr. Obeng both spoke at the conference. In his remarks, Dr Obeng argued that the national budget provided a twin opportunity to deal with poverty and inequality through energy transitions. He suggested that a bottom-up incentive model where States that hit energy or poverty reduction targets receive increased funding should be considered.
During the visit Dr. Obeng was inducted as Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR), Covenant University, Nigeria.
Other highlights of the visit included a meeting with Covenant’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Timothy Anake, and executives of Covenant University to discuss areas of possible collaboration, and a meeting with Professor (Mrs.) Augustina Oluwatotin Matthew, Head of the Department of Economics.
Reflecting on the visit, Dr Obeng said: “It was a truly exciting experience to be part of the policy-making conversations in Nigeria. I was especially encouraged when the Federal Minister highlighted my suggestions as valuable and even noted that some current government actions are already in line with them. I’m really looking forward to more opportunities to collaborate in my new role as Senior Research Fellow at CEPDeR.”
External reports:
· University of Warwick Seeks Deeper Collaboration with Covenant University
· DIaDeRC-ASMN at Covenant Varsity’s CEPDeR NBR 2025 - DIaDerc