250 Scholars to Converge at UI Conference to Tackle Nigeria’s Economic Crisis
The conference, organized by UI's faculty of the social sciences, will welcome scholars from the United States of America, South Africa, and various universities across Nigeria. These scholars will present evidence-based solutions derived from their research on Nigeria's development issues.
AKACHI NOEL 
A total of 250 researchers in the social sciences and humanities worldwide will gather at the University of Ibadan (UI) for the inaugural Ibadan International Social Science Conference aimed at addressing Nigeria's current economic challenges.
The conference, organized by UI's faculty of the social sciences, will welcome scholars from the United States of America, South Africa, and various universities across Nigeria. These scholars will present evidence-based solutions derived from their research on Nigeria's development issues.
According to Professor Ezebunwa Nwokocha, the Dean of UI’s faculty of the social sciences, the opening ceremony will commence today and feature a keynote address by Professor Lai Erinosho, a Trustee of the Social Science Academy of Nigeria. Professor Augustine Okereke, the immediate past senior vice president and provost of Medger Event College, City University of New York, will deliver the lead paper.
Nwokocha emphasized the pivotal role of UI's Social Sciences in guiding government policies towards fostering growth and development in Nigeria. The conference aims to maintain this leadership role by generating evidence-based data to address contemporary social issues hindering sustainable development.
The conference theme, "Social Science, Contemporary Social Issues and the Actualisation of Sustainable Development," was carefully chosen to focus on key challenges such as terrorism, banditry, urbanization, transportation, health, social protection, unemployment, and decent work challenges in Nigeria.
Professor Nwokocha highlighted the importance of local researchers in probing and offering recommendations for solving the country's problems. He emphasized the need for evidence-driven policies to address Nigeria's challenges effectively.
The conference is expected to consolidate the recommendations of Nigerian researchers and disseminate them to policymakers to inform evidence-driven policy formulation.
