Policy Research at IDEP

 Overview

The policy research work undertaken at IDEP complements the Institute’s training programme and responds to the needs of the policy-making communities and other stakeholders. Indeed, the short courses are combined with high-level dialogues, development seminars and a fellowship programme, that are considered as research based activities. The research component provides strategic guidance to the courses to be delivered and updates and adapts their contents according to the changes in the environment and the priorities of our countries’ development agendas. IDEP acts as a think tank with the aim of guiding policy change and decision making at the highest level on a number of development challenges. In this context, IDEP has regularly flagship research activities that help to strengthen the link between development research and policy action in Africa while providing a framework for debate and innovative thinking:

• IDEP High-level policy dialogues series;
• IDEP Development Seminars (IDS) series;
• IDEP Fellowship programme

 IDEP High-level policy dialogues series

IDEP High-level policy dialogues serve to contribute to the promotion of a research-policy nexus in Africa. The policy dialogues provide a one to two-days platform for debates on the experience of post-independence Africa in all fields of economics and development planning. It offers a fora for African policy makers, researchers and development practitioners to engage in structured multistakeholder debate on major issues for the development of Africa and, identify through the sharing of knowledge, experiences and perspectives, all possible actions and policy solutions. Each of the policy dialogues brings together about forty participants on average to discuss one strategic issue of Africa’s structural transformation and sustainable development in its various dimensions through more than three thematic sessions.

 IDEP Fellowships Programme

The overarching objective of this fellowship programme is to afford African policy officials and researchers working on relevant economic management and development issues for various decision-making groups in Africa deeply examine a mutually chosen topic in a serene environment over a determined period of time. Participants in this programme benefit from fellowships that include a full or partial IDEP sponsorship. During the fellowship period, research seminar are organised to allow the fellows to receive some thoughts, comments and suggestions from peerresearchers from other institutions. The laureates of the programme produce research reports and policy brief for publication. The programme has 3 components :

Visiting Fellowship for Policy Researchers

This fellowship programme contributes to promoting and deepening intra-African knowledge sharing and mutual learning among researchers and other key development actors. The uniqueness of this programme is that it is dedicated to generation of knowledge on the African development agenda in all its dimensions which could help advance the frontiers of development action. The beneficiaries are mandated to contribute, through their research, to the strengthening of the knowledge base for the panAfrican project of an integrated regional economic development and unified continental political and economic space. In recognition of the contribution of the late Tajudeen Abdulraheem (1961 – 2009) to the building of a modern pan-African agenda and the nurturing of a pan-African consciousness, the beneficiaries of this programme are known as Tajudeen Abdulraheem Fellows.

« The changing context and agenda of global and local development call for the generation of new policy knowledges »

Visiting Fellowship for African Policy Officials

The IDEP Visiting Fellowship for African Policy Officials programme is aimed at officials of national governments, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and regional institutions such as the African Union (AU). The overarching objective of this programme is to afford officials working on economic management and development questions of interest an opportunity to undertake concentrated reflection in a serene environment over a determined period of time with a view to producing a policy paper as further input into their work. Exceptionally, development scholars whose work seat at the interface of research and policy are also considered for admission to this fellowship programme.

Intra-African Study Visit Programme for Policy Officials

The IDEP Intra-African Study Visit Programme lasts two weeks and is designed to provide African mid-career and senior African policy makers an opportunity to undertake study tours within Africa in order to promote cross-border mutual learning and exchange among them. Terms of reference for a study tour are agreed by participating officials, their host institution and IDEP. Participating officials are required to be endorsed by their governments and are expected to be in a position to apply comparative lessons from the tour to address the problems that informed the visit in the first place.

 IDEP Development Seminars

The IDEP Development Seminar (IDS) Series is a genuine forum where researchers and policy makers can engage in mutual learning and knowledge exchange for the betterment of the African continent. Each seminar lasts (3) hours that includes a general debate on various perspectives. Presentations are made by invited guests who are established senior scholar, policy researchers, policy analysts, and development practitioners with competence in the field being discussed. The seminars bring together each on average, between 40 and 60 participants, an audience of senior policy officials from public and private institutions, civil society organisations, research institutes, think tanks, officials of the diplomatic bodies, international organisations and UN agencies, academics and research students. Through the seminars the Institute contributes to the bridging of the existing divide between African research and African policy action.

Example Topics :

• “Conference Debate on the Territorialization of the SDGs and Urban Governance”
• “Winning the fight against corruption”
• “Urbanization and industrialisation”
• “African Continental Free Trade Area”
• “Financing for infrastructure development”