African Emergence, Inclusive and Sustainable Development and the Role of Social Science Research with Special Reference to Eastern Africa

This paper argues that the economic growth experience of several African countries and the Eastern Africa sub-region now generally constitutes an emergence. It is a necessary feature of a rising and shining Africa that has given cause to Afro optimism. Recovering from the scars of colonialism—subjugation, backwardness and darkness—and the post-colonial economic stagnation tagged as the ‘African dummy’, in the last 15 years Africa has witnessed the fastest economic growth, evidenced by credible cases. But it also provides evidence of rampant poverty, inequality and ‘jobless’ growth. Africa not only faces the challenge of inclusive development but also of how to make economic growth friendly for the environment and for sustaining resources required by future generations. This paper uses countries in Eastern Africa, including Ethiopia to demonstrate the challenges of sustaining the region’s current economic emergence. It identifies the role of social science research in ensuring inclusive and sustainable development in the Eastern Africa sub-region.