PROJECT LEADING EDGE: AN AIAE 5-YEAR INITIATIVE

The African Institute for Applied Economics, Enugu has designed a five year strategic plan initiative. The aim of this initiative, is to develop a validated framework against which AIAE will be benchmarked as well as measure its competitiveness among its competitors in the Nigerian and African Economic Research Communities.

The plan will look at AIAE's Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Speaking at the inception workshop on the Project Leading Edge: “AIAE 5 year strategic plan initiative, 2009-2014' which held on Friday April 18th 2008, at the conference room of the Institute in Enugu, the Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Eric Eboh stated that the aim of the initiative was to re-examine the Institute based on its past years of operation for the purpose of repositioning it to meet with the challenges and needs of its changing environment.

He reiterated the Institutes' vision which is “a Renascent Africa that is democratic, prosperous and a major player in the global economy”, and stated that the extent to which all stakeholders had worked towards achieving the said vision is one of the issues the Project Leading-Edge will address. The plan, he said will also contain well-researched recommendations for aligning strategies and programmes with the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing research and policy environment.

The AIAE Project Leading Edge, is made up of three subcommittees with each one of these subcommittees having its own terms of reference namely:

Subcommittee 1: Research & Consultancy

• To identify and describe the research and consultancy programmes of AIAE in the next   five years 
• To recommend the research and consultancy directions and activities of AIAE in the next   five years
• To identify potential research partnerships and research management systems by which  AIAE can fulfil its organisational vision and mission 

 
Subcommittee 2: Governance and Institutional Capacity Development 

• To identify mechanisms  and programmes for enhancing the human resources of the   Institute
• To identify mechanisms  and programmes for enhancing the institutional and   infrastructural resources of the Institute
• To identify the challenges and imperatives for the future   
• To recommend actions that would contribute to greater capabilities, productivity and   efficiency of staff and Associate Fellows

Subcommittee 3: Fund-Raising and Resource Mobilisation

• To identify ways and means to improve the mobilisation of funds and other kinds of   support to AIAE 
• To identify possible funding sources, funding mechanisms and strategic approaches to   fund-raising and resource mobilisation 
• To identify key agencies – domestic and international – that should be engaged for the   purpose of eliciting long term predictable support and funding

 
Subcommittee 4: Networking, Collaboration and Institutional Affiliation

• To identify better ways to ensure effective and sustainable engagement with Associate   Fellows and potential partner organisations 
• To identify improved ways and means AIAE can engage with potential partners   (policymakers, research community- home and foreign, and development practitioners)
• To recommend tools and programmes for improved networking (intra-AIAE, between   AIAE and domestic/foreign research organisations, and between AIAE and policy community) 

Report guidelines as well as datelines for submission of reports were also given to the committees to enable them work within the time frame given. It was expected that in early December 2008, the larger body of Associate Fellows will critic the document for presentation and launching during the 2009 Associate Fellows Retreat.