Current Students and Staff

// University News

20 Feb 2019

Research project hosts workshop dedicated to retiring member of staff at Loughborough’s School of Business and Economics

A research workshop dedicated to a retiring member of staff was recently held at Loughborough University’s School of Business and Economics (SBE) in partnership with the Centre for Global Finance at SOAS (University of London).

Over 70 researchers, policymakers and practitioners from across the globe came together to discussing the ongoing research project, Delivering inclusive financial development and growth.

The workshop was specially dedicated to a member of the research team, Christopher Green, a Professor of Economics and Finance, who recently retired from academia.

The event was organised to celebrate his lifelong contributions to the fields of economics and finance, and to pay tribute to his exceptional mentorship of researchers, both through his University academic career and his active involvement in the critical capacity building dimensions of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).

Professor Christopher Green was also instrumental in building the research reputation of Loughborough University in the areas of financial economics and banking and finance, not only within the UK but also globally.

Dr Ahmad Hassan Ahmad, Lecturer in Macroeconomics in SBE, said:

“Chris had a rare ability to combine research and teaching for industrial economies with that of developing countries, as can be evidenced from his work and research projects on the UK economy as well as his research leadership on developing countries.”

Professor Njuguna Ndung'u, Executive Director of the AERC and former Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, added: “We should continue the legacy of Professor Christopher Green as we seek to provide answers to these and other questions relating to financial sector development and financial inclusion in developing countries, in general, and Africa, in particular.”

In his closing remarks, Professor Green expressed gratitude to the workshop organisers and to all the participants at the workshop:

“I have been extraordinarily fortunate to work with so many wonderful people. Thank you to all the speakers and everyone who has come to this workshop, and to all who have made sacrifices and contributions in order to make this day a special one.”

The day was followed by presentations and discussions of 13 papers from the ongoing research project. These papers provided preliminary findings on diverse topics in relation to financial inclusion and sustainable economic development.

The project, which is funded by the DFID and ESRC and led by Professor Victor Murinde, is a consortium of UK and international partners, including Loughborough University, the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, the Overseas Development Institute and the University of Nottingham in the UK; the Universities of Groningen (Netherlands), Laval University (Canada), Columbia University (USA); and the University of Ghana-Legon and the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) in Kenya. More information can be found here.