Fifth Young Scholars Conference 2025

Fifth Young Scholars Conference on Structural Change and Industrial Policy in Africa

organised by

University of Johannesburg, Young Scholars Initiative

4-5 June 2025 | Virtual Conference

About the conference

Industrialisation and industrial development continues to be at the forefront of the development agenda of many African countries. With the ratification and implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), trade, regional integration and regional industrialisation are likely to become even more important in policy considerations.

The DSI/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI-ID), hosted at the College of Business and Economics, and the Young Scholars Initiative are pleased to invite abstracts from young scholars for the Fifth Young Scholars Conference on Structural Change and Industrial Policy in Africa. We welcome papers exploring central issues around Africa’s pathway towards achieving sustainable industrialisation and structural transformation.

The conference will be held on 4-5 June 2025. The conference will entail a separate 1-day training course on issues of industrialisation, industrial policy and structural change.

Senior international scholars will act as discussants at the conference to provide feedback on presented papers.

The conference will be held in hybrid format, with the option of congregated physical attendance at selected satellite venues, where attendants can participate in the conference as a group in a single venue. Attendance is free and open to the public.

APPLICATIONS

Deadline for submissions: 18 April 2025

Presentation at the conference is open to postgraduate students, postdoctoral research fellows and early career researchers.

Presenters whose abstract submissions are successful will be required to submit presentations by 16 May 2025. The submission of full papers at this time is also encouraged to allow discussants an opportunity to engage more closely with the work.

Submissions are invited around the broad themes of structural change, industrial development and industrial policy in Africa. Studies with a sub national, national or supra-national focus are all welcome.

Topics could include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Structural change in Africa
• Industrial development, industrialisation, sector studies, and deindustrialisation in Africa
• The political economy of industrial policy in Africa
• Trade and industrial development in Africa
• The innovation, technological upgrading, and the 4IR in Africa
• Green industrialisation and green industrial policy in Africa
• Gendered aspects of industrial development and policy in Africa
• Labour market or distributional aspects of industrial development in Africa

Please use the following link to submit an application to present at the conference, and/or to attend the training course: https://forms.gle/HyYCFntG7LVHpqks5

For consideration to rpesent at the conference, extended abstracts of 600-800 words are required. The deadline for submissions is 18 April 2025. For queries or technical assistance, please contact Ms Koketso Mnayane on sarchiid@uj.ac.za.

Note: Awards

We will be recognising outstanding full papers with awards for the Best Paper ($750) and Runner-up Best Paper ($250). To be eligible, submissions need to be accepted and presented at the conference, and full papers need to be submitted to sarchiid@uj.ac.za by 16 May 2025. These awards are at the discretion of the selection committee and decisions of the selection committee are final.

Important dates

• Abstract submission deadline 18 April 2025
• Training course application 18 April 2025
• Conference registration opens 2 May 2025
• Submission of presentations and optionally of full papers 16 May 2025
• Training TBC
• Conference 4-5 June 2025