Events

This forum, which will be held from 7 to 9 July 2026 in Cotonou, aims to bring together researchers to present and discuss recent work on digital transformations in West Africa, from both academic and public policy perspectives.

The Global Research Network on Public Development Banks, in collaboration with Finance in Common and the French Development Agency, is organizing the 2026 Conference on Development Bank Research, focused on the theme “Public Banks in a Changing Global Financial Architecture.” The event will be held in Clermont-Ferrand in partnership with Ferdi and Cerdi.

As part of Clermont Innovation Week 2026, members of the Clermont International Development Hub (PCDI) are fostering dialogue between research and public policy.

The GIIN is hosting a “Knowledge Hub” session focused on sub-Saharan Africa, exploring investment market opportunities across the region. The webinar will offer insights into the macroeconomic landscape, recent investment and capital flow trends, and the role of impact capital.

From 21 to 23 April 2026, Ferdi will visit Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of its partnership with the National Pedagogical University (UPN). The mission will be led by Vianney Dequiedt and Coline Real, and organised in collaboration with the Global Development Network (GDN), represented by Idah Razafindrakoto.

Florian Léon (Ferdi) will participate in the panel discussion titled “What potential still remains in the transition businesses are pursuing?”

A panel discussion will focus on the financing challenges and emerging opportunities facing these countries. Panelists will examine inequalities in global supply chains and their impact on the poorest nations. They will also explore how financing models, governance frameworks, and international partnerships can foster more inclusive and sustainable outcomes.

FERDI took part in the OSH (One Sustainable Health) Forum, which was held in Lyon on 7 and 8 April.

Laura Alfaro Maykall (Inter-American Development Bank), Rabah Arezki (French National Center for Scientific Research & FERDI), Osmel Manzano (Inter-American Development Bank), and Rick van der Ploeg (University of Oxford) in collaboration with CEBRA International Finance and Macroeconomics program are soliciting papers for a conference on “International and Financial Dimensions of Critical Minerals".

Thomas Mélonio, Executive Director and Chief Economist of the French Development Agency (AFD), visited Clermont-Ferrand on 1 April 2026 to present The African Economy 2026.

FERDI launched a series of three webinars on "Reconciling international development financing with global public goods financing."

Pascal Saint-Amans will discuss the issue: "What are the benefits of international tax reform for countries in the Global South?"

The official launch of the PanAfGeo+ project took place in Kinshasa from 17 to 20 March 2026, in the presence of His Excellency Mr Louis Watum Kabamba, Minister of Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

This webinar, organised by the DRM platform, focused on practical approaches and measures to combat illicit financial flows in order to make them more operational: How can concrete measures against IFFs be prioritized, sequenced, and managed while taking institutional constraints into account, and how can progress be assessed credibly?

On March 12, 2026, Joël Cariolle, Research Officer at FERDI, spoke about the contribution of mobile connectivity to the integration of agricultural markets in West Africa.