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ECA brings together policymakers and researchers to capture the demographic dividend in West Africa

29 September, 2022
ECA brings together policymakers and researchers to capture the demographic dividend in West Africa

Accra, Ghana, September 29, 2022 – The Sub-Regional Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA-SRO/WA), in collaboration with the Regional Institute of Population Studies (RIPS) and the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), launched on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana, the second edition of its Think Tanks and Experts Seminar on Population Dynamics for Development in West Africa, to be held from September 28 till October 01, in Accra, Ghana.

Under the theme "Bridging the Research-Policy Gap to Accelerate the Demographic Dividend in West Africa," the meeting aims to accelerate progress toward the demographic dividend by stimulating policy-oriented research and translation to strengthen evidence-based policy and planning processes in the West African sub-region.

Its specific objectives are to:

Engage researchers and discuss their roles in addressing policy needs in the sub-region;

Deepen the survey results and facilitate knowledge sharing and peer mentoring;

Facilitate experience sharing, peer mentoring, and collaboration among researchers to promote evidence-based policy-making; and

Enhance the link between ECA-SRO/WA, knowledge producers, and policymakers in the sub-region.

For the Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, Ngone Diop, "the major challenge is to make good use of the powerful and important results of research on population dynamics to inform and guide the choice of economic, social and governance policies, as well as resources allocation”.

“We need to do more, better, and faster," said Ngone Diop, "that is the key message coming out of our substantive survey of 164 researchers, the results of which helped us identify and understand the missing link between research and policy, research and action, and the fact that research results are only marginally taken into account in the formulation of policies and programs, in this case those aiming at accelerating the capture of the demographic dividend”.

The four-day seminar is being attended by think tanks, universities, research institutes, individual researchers, and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) at the forefront of research in the West African sub-region. Selected policy makers are also invited to join the conversation.

For further information, please contact:

Tahirou Gouro
Communication Officer
ECA- SRO/WA
Email : gouro2@un.org

About the Think Tanks and Experts Seminar on Demographic Dynamics in West Africa