2018 Africa Conference at Tennessee State University

Conference Theme: DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC, AND SECURITY CHALLENGES IN AFRICA

In its 2017 world population report, the Population Division of the United Nations indicated that half of the world’s population growth in the world between now and 2050 will likely come from Africa, and that the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria, will overtake the United States to become the third-most populous country in the world by 2050. Even though Africa’s population is expected to grow and its share of the world’s population is anticipated to increase from 17% in 2017 to 26 % by 2050, the population will grow slowly than in the past given substantial reductions in levels of fertility. Despite such prospects, recent discussions on sustainable development and demography place a lot of emphasis on the central role that Africa is playing in determining the future size and distribution of the world population and international migration flows/patterns.

Furthermore, Africa’s rising population has implications on the economies of African countries and brings its own challenges to governance, especially on providing adequate education, health, infrastructure, and employment to the predominantly young population. Even though Africa has made significant strides in economic growth in recent years, more public and private investment in the aforementioned areas is needed to boost growth, employment, and thereby minimize youth displacement and emigration.

The continent of Africa is also faced with political and security challenges attributed to militant extremism, as in the case of Boko Haram in Nigeria; al-Shabab in Somalia; and Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, and the lack of political inclusion associated with differences in ethnic, religious, and national ideologies, as in South Sudan, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Ethiopia, which in turn has regional implications.

The Central challenge for African countries is thus finding ways to build capable governments that would create economic, political, and demographic stability, which are critically needed to bring about long-term sustainable development in the continent.

This year’s conference will provide a platform for scholars and other participants to critically examine, within a multidisciplinary framework, contemporary African challenges pertaining to demographics, economics, and national security.

The sub-themes and potential topics around which the conference is organized may include but are not limited to the following:

Africa’s Rising Population: Challenges and Prospects

Population and Development Nexus in Africa

Family Planning and Women Empowerment

Africa’s Demographic Challenges: Myth or Reality

A Critical Analysis of Africa’s “Overpopulation”

Africa and the Global Population Control Agenda

Relevance of Boserupian, Malthusian, and Neo-Malthusian Theories of Population Growth

The Population History of Africa

Enslavement, Colonialism, and Africa’s Population Dynamics

Africa’s Demographic Trends and Population Prospects

Africa’s Population Dynamics: History, Current Status, and Future Projections

Africa’s Demographic Dividend

Economic Participation of Africa’s Youth and Women

Recent African Migration to Europe: Challenges and European Responses

Youth Unemployment, Political Instability, and Emigration

G20’s Africa Partnership—“Compact with Africa”

Private and Public Investment: Achievements, Opportunities, and Challenges 

The Historical Legacy and Africa's Economic Challenges
Post-Independence Economic and Demographic Policies in Africa

International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment in Africa

Millennium Development Goals: Economic and Demographic Progress

Security Challenges in Africa

Armed Conflict and Electoral Violence

Democracy and Political Inclusion

Rise of Militant Extremism

National Security and Terrorism (including State Terrorism)
Sustainable Development in Africa