West-African Digital Transformations Forum

Co-organised by FERDI, the Global Development Network (GDN), the Centre d'Actions pour l'Environnement et le Développement durable (ACED), the African School of Economics (ASE) and CERDI, with the support of the Clermont-Ferrand International Development Hub (PCDI), the Forum aimed to deepen understanding of the digital transformations taking place across the region and strengthen the contribution of research to public policy and digital development strategies. 

Bridging research and public policy 

Digital transformations are rapidly reshaping West African economies, labour markets and societies. They create new opportunities for financial inclusion, employment, access to services and local development, while also raising significant challenges related to inequality, worker protection, taxation and equitable access to digital infrastructure.

Against this backdrop, the Forum pursued three main objectives:

• Co-develop research agendas that address the needs of policymakers and practitioners; 
• Strengthen the scientific quality, visibility and impact of research conducted by emerging African scholars; 
• Foster lasting dialogue between researchers, policymakers, the private sector and civil society, so that digital policies and innovations are increasingly informed by evidence.

The first day of the Forum focused on identifying the region's knowledge needs and research priorities for the years ahead.

Researchers, government officials, private-sector representatives, civil society organisations and development partners exchanged perspectives around a central question: What research is most needed today to support digital transformations in West Africa?

By starting from the practical challenges faced across the region, the discussions helped identify priorities for research that is more relevant, more collaborative and better aligned with public policy needs.

The second day highlighted a new generation of African social science researchers whose work is essential to improving understanding of the continent's digital transformations and informing public policy debates.

Following an international call for papers, nine early-career African researchers presented their work to fellow researchers, senior academics, policymakers, private-sector representatives, civil society organisations and development partners.

Participants came from institutions including ENSEA (Abidjan), Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar), the University of Yaoundé II, the Chad Business Climate Observatory and several other African research institutions.

The papers addressed three main themes:

• Digitalisation and labour markets
• Digitalisation, financial inclusion and taxation
• Connectivity, local development and structural transformation

The third day extended the discussions by exploring how research findings can be more effectively taken up by public and private decision-makers. In particular, discussions focused on two key priorities:

• Strengthening scientific communication skills in order to foster more effective dialogue between researchers and policymakers; 
• Opening up the knowledge-production process to public- and private-sector decision-makers, thereby facilitating the uptake and use of research findings.

Beyond three days of discussions, the Forum helped strengthen links between researchers, policymakers and development partners. It identified shared research priorities, fostered networks among a new generation of African researchers, and consolidated a dialogue that is intended to continue beyond this first edition.

More broadly, the Forum contributes to strengthening research that is produced by and for the region.