The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) sub-regional office for West Africa, in collaboration with the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, convened a virtual meeting of Think Tanks and experts across West Africa.
The meeting which was held on Wednesday, November 25, 2020 was themed: “Generational Economy and Structural Transformation in COVID-19 era in West Africa.”
Discussions that took place highlighted the acute demographic challenges in West Africa and the linkages that exist between population dynamics and the sustainable development goals, with focus on country-specific contexts.
Consequently, presentations that were delivered on the challenges associated with population dynamics on the West Africa sub-region were found to have worsened even further due to the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Therefore, it suffices to say that, the race to meet the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2063 Agenda for a better Africa, will require a clearer understanding of the region’s demographic transformations and the policies and programmes that are necessary for making progress in resolving the demographic challenges.
The areas of concern include; access to affordable and quality health services, improvement in social protection schemes, quality education and employment opportunities for the youth, among other things.
The Acting Director and Chief of the Demographic Dynamics for Development (DDD) section of ECA sub-Regional office for West Africa, Mr. Bakary Dosso stated that, the focus of the meeting was in the right direction, as it is to help highlight the demographic challenges faced by individual countries in the midst of the pandemic, as well as help share actions that can avert the risks, therewith.
“The population growth in West Africa is estimated at 2.6 percent in 2020, more than double the world average of 1.04 percent. While there has been a consistent decline in the population growth in West Africa partly explained by reduced fertility rates, progress is still slow compared to other regions and sub-regions of the world,” he added.
According to Mr. Chris Nikoi, the Regional Director for West and Central Africa of the World Food Programme (WFP), it is important to share experiences and good practices as a way of responding to the social and economic crisis caused by the pandemic and the lessons learned from the policy responses adopted by countries.
“In the face of Covid-19 crisis that is as much global as it is regional, it is not only important to have a coalition of partners to measure the long-term macro-economic impacts but also the social protection provisions needed in the short term, including resulting to the humanitarian crisis to provide basic services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and education.”
In his closing remarks, Mr. David Adeosun, the Director of the Macroeconomic Studies at the Ministry of Budget and Planning of Nigeria, commended UNECA, for promoting a shared response among countries in the sub-region to the Covid-19 pandemic by way of hosting the virtual meeting.
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