Three students from the School of Finance and Applied Economics (SFAE) presented their research projects at the Africa Finance Journal (AFJ) Conference held in Durban, South Africa on May 14^th 2014.

 

Hazel Ndiho, Theuri Chege and Anthony Wagacha were accompanied by their supervisor, Mr Ferdinand Othieno, who is also a PhD student at University of Cape Town. The AFJ Conference presents an opportunity for researchers in finance to review each other’s work, offering helpful suggestions to improve quality of their papers for publication.

 

This year’s conference offered a diverse array of topics in the sectors of Capital Markets, Money and Banking, Micro Enterprise Finance, General Development Finance and International Finance and Economics.

 

The prize of the best paper of the conference was given to Dr Esman Nyamongo from the Research Department of Central Bank of Kenya for his paper entitled ‘Remittances, Institutions and Banking Sector Growth in Africa’. Participants at the AFJ Conference were especially impressed about Strathmore University as it was the first time that undergraduate students were presenting at the conference. This is seen through Dr. Nyamongo who pledged his prize money to the Strathmore students, the youngest researchers at the conference, to encourage them in the journey of research in finance.

 

Additional comments received from other participants included:

 

“Keep up the good work. You have really challenged me. If you keep up at this rate we shall see the first Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences coming from Kenya.” Roland Banya, PhD Student University of Cape Town

“The paper was exciting from a young scholar and was presented with finesse and confidence.  This can only mark the beginning of an academic and a researcher and well done to Strathmore for giving its young brains such an exposure”.  Thuto Mahlanza, Doctoral Candidate at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

To read the abstract of the papers click the links below;

 

1. Effect of Market Concentration and Competition on the Technical Efficiency of Commercial Banks in Kenya
2. Return Volatility and the Pricing of Equities at the Nairobi Securities Exchange
3. Semi-Markov Credit Risk Modeling for a Portfolio of Consumer Loans: Kenyan Banking Industry