Contact details
- Name:
- Donald Sparks
- Qualifications:
- AA, BA, MA, PhD
- Position/Fellowship type:
- Senior Research Fellow
- Fellowship term:
- 01-Jan-2025
- Institute:
- Institute of Commonwealth Studies
- Home institution:
- Institute of Commonwealth Studies
- Location:
- Senate House Malet Street London WC1E 7HU UK
- Phone:
- 020 7862 8853
- Email address:
- donald.sparks@sas.ac.uk
- Website:
- https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/people/donald-l-sparks
Research Summary and Profile
- Research interests:
- Fellowships, Globalization & Development, International Relations, Social Sciences
- Regions:
- Africa
- Summary of research interests and expertise:
-
His primary research focus is the blue economy of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Western Indian Ocean, examining how coastal and marine resources — including fisheries, aquaculture, offshore minerals, shipping, and marine tourism — can drive sustainable economic development. He is particularly interested in the role of regional economic communities such as SADC and African Union frameworks (e.g., Agenda 2063, the 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy) in coordinating maritime governance and policy.routledge+3
Sparks has also published extensively on Sub-Saharan African economic integration, land acquisitions, the informal sector, monetary union in Southern Africa, and the growing economic roles of India and China in the region. He has been a consultant for the Economist Intelligence Unit, UNIDO, UNDP, and the UN Council for Namibia.scholar.google+1
His key books include The Blue Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa (2021), Southern Africa's Blue Economy (2023), and Africa's Blue Cities: Building Resilience in a Time of Climate Change (Routledge, 2026).
- Publication Details
-
Related publications/articles:
Date Details 28-Jul-2026 Africa’s Blue Cities: Building Resilience in a Time of Climate Change. Edited Book
London: Routledge Press, Taylor & Francis Group
01-Jun-2023 Southern Africa’s Blue Economy: Regional Cooperation for Sustained Development. Monographs
London: Routledge Press, Taylor & Francis Group
01-Jun-2021 Economic Transformation in sub-Saharan Africa: The Way Forward. Monographs
London: Routledge Press, Taylor & Francis Group
01-Jun-2021 The Blue Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Working for a Sustainable Future (editor). Edited Book
London: Routledge Press, Taylor & Francis Group
01-Jun-2016 “The Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063: Implications for Economic Integration in Africa” Journal articles
Research in Applied Economics, Volume 8, Number 4,
01-Jun-1997 Microeconomics: Principles and Applications (Sixth Edition). With James Willis & Martin Primack. Redding, Calif: CT Publishing,
01-Jun-1990 Namibia: The Nation After Independence. (With December Green) Monographs
Boulder: Westview Press
01-Jun-1989 Macroeconomics: Principles and Applications. With James Willis & Martin Primack. Redding, Calif: CAT Publishing
Consultancy reports:
Date Details 2026 Namibia’s Nature-Related Financial Disclosure Readiness and Institutional Review Study and Action Plan UNDP Consultancy
1990 Namibia: Industrial Development at Independence (Industrial Development Review Series). UNIDO Consultancy
1985 Marine Resources as a Base for Industrial Development: Problems and Prospects in The Western Indian Ocean Island States. UNIDO Consultancy
1985 Namibia's Future: The Economy at Independence Economist Intelligence Unit Consultancy
1984 Final Report: Regional Workshop for Coastal and Marine Management and Protection in East Africa and the Indian Ocean. IUCN Consultancy
Government/policy work:
Date Details Internal Reports, various years Office of Economic Analysis, US Department of State
- Research Projects & Supervisions
-
Available for doctoral supervision: Yes