The 5th International Research Conference opened yesterday in Accra.
The event, organised by the College of Humanities of the University of Ghana, is being sponsored by OXFAM and Star Ghana.
It had the theme:“Perspectives on Inequalities; Challenges and Prospects for Sustainable Development before, during and after CODVID-19”.
It sought to afford participants the opportunity take tough decisions in addressing inequalities on COVID-19.
The participants, who are researchers from the academia, civil society organisations, Master of Philosophy students, are expected to get a first hand information on efforts made by other countries in addressing inequalities.
They are additionally expected to use the conference to shape research detectives on doctorial students’ papers, as well as form partnerships and collaborations to begin joint work towards farmiliarising with current methodologies to address issues of COVID-19.
Papers to be discussed include, communication inequalities between children and adults, inequalities in mental health, analysis of vaccine diplomacy and inequalities, and segregation and paying for lip service improvements.
The other topics are exploring neighbourhood environment, fiscal interventions in Ghana and welfare, the impact of income inequality, fire in the city, experiences of re-integration and homelessness, to go or not to go to school, revenue mobilisation and challenges of teaching and learning languages using online platforms.
A former Deputy Director of ISSER and the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER), Heliski, Professor Augustine KwasiFosu, speaking on the theme, said the time had come to focus on reducing gender-based inequalities in all spheres of life.
According to him, the critical aspects have been the spatial inequality incomes vis-a-vis poverty as well as infrastructural distribution, and urged for the promotion of labour intensive productivity to empower the people economically.
He further called for the reduction in interest rates and make capital available to help bring down inflation in order to improve agricultural productivity.
He urged the participants to delve into the topics critically towards finding lasting solutions to end inequalities on the continent.
The Regional Head of Programmes, West Africa, Oxfam International, Mr Sebastian Tiah, in a speech read on his behalf, said his outfit decided to partner the academia to provide relevant research and evidence-based findings to help address challenges posed by inequalities.
Oxfam global strategy, he explained, sought to advocate fair and just economies, gender justice and the rights of women so as to create safe spaces to make office holders accountable.
The Provost, College of Humanities of the University of Ghana, Prof. Daniel FrimpongOfori, in his opening remarks, said the conference provided a timely avenue for creative theorising, analysis and discussions of perspectives on inequalities from all disciplines that seek to address the global governance and developmental challenges related to the CODVID-19 pandemic.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
