Dr Joel Ede Owuru, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics, Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos State, has emerged as the second-best winner in the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) Best PhD Thesis Award for 2026.

Dr Owuru received the recognition following the selection of his PhD thesis, titled “International Remittances, Economic Growth, and Poverty in Selected West African Countries, 1980–2021,” among the top three doctoral research works selected by the Nigerian Economic Society.

The award presentation and research presentation took place on Monday, 7 September 2026, during the 67th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Economic Society, held at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.

The Nigerian Economic Society (NES) is the national professional body of economists in Nigeria. As part of its commitment to promoting excellence in economic research and scholarship, the Society annually recognises the three best PhD theses produced across doctoral-awarding institutions in Nigeria.

For the 2026 edition, Economics PhD graduates who completed their programmes between May 2025 and June 2026 were invited to submit their doctoral theses for consideration. A panel of professors and distinguished academics drawn from institutions across the country was constituted to assess the submissions.

Following the rigorous assessment, Dr Owuru's research emerged as the second-best PhD thesis among the three award-winning doctoral research works selected by the Society.

Presenting his research, Dr Owuru highlighted the relationship between international remittances, economic growth and poverty reduction in selected West African countries, drawing on data covering the period 1980 to 2021. His research contributes to ongoing scholarly discussions on the role of international financial flows and their implications for economic development and poverty outcomes in the West African sub-region.

The University congratulates Dr Joel Ede Owuru on this outstanding academic accomplishment and for bringing honour to Augustine University through his research excellence and scholarly contribution to the economics profession in Nigeria.