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Ph:DR: Presidium of the workshop at the opening of the works
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the Regional Consortium for Generational Economic Research (CREG) is organizing from 22 to 26 May 2023 at Azalaï Hôtel in Cotonou, a regional workshop on Budgeting Sensitive to the Demographic Dividend (BSDD). The main objective of this workshop is to carry out the retropolation of the DDMI (Demographic Dividend Monitoring Index) over the last 15 years and the connection to calibrate the index for the years without survey in the targeted countries. Twenty-five (25) Experts from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal and Togo, are strengthening their capacity on these sensitive budgeting mechanisms under the technical supervision of ten (10) GREC Experts and under the technical support from ECA experts.
Aline ASSANKPON
“Taking advantage of the Demographic Dividend by investing massively in young people”, this was the theme of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) held in January 2016. Summit at the end of which the conference called on countries to invest massively and in an accelerated manner in the following four pillars, in order to harness the demographic dividend in Africa: Employment and entrepreneurship; Education and skills development; Health and wellbeing ; and Governance and Youth Empowerment. The conference also called on ECA and Development Partners to intensify their support to Member States in the implementation of this African Union roadmap for capturing the demographic dividend.
In response to this call, the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, the Regional Center of Excellence for Research in Generational Economics (CREG) has set up two indicators for monitoring the demographic dividend: retropolation and the connection of the DDMI, the two come together in the regional Program on Budgeting Sensitive to the Demographic Dividend (DSDD).
Indeed, the BSDD is a tool that helps to strengthen the link between sectoral policies and development plans and the national budget. “This tool aims to provide comprehensive data on public expenditures related to the dimensions of the demographic dividend so that resources can be directed more effectively to accelerate the demographic dividend” said Dr. Ngoné Diop, Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office in West Africa.
Ph: DR: Dr Ngoné Diop, Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office in West Africa.
For the Director, there are obvious reasons to implement this program: “The fifteen member countries of ECOWAS alone have a population estimated at around 410 million inhabitants in 2021 with an average annual growth rate of 2.4. The demographic weight of Africa which constitutes 30% of the African population and represents approximately 5% of the world population. By 2050, the population of West Africa could reach 8% of the world population and 32% of the African population. she observes.
“In addition, like other African regions, the population of West Africa is predominantly young, with more than 60% of young people under the age of 25. Another salient characteristic of the demographic dynamics of West Africa is the high fertility rate ranging from about 2 births for Cape Verde), 6.82 births for Niger, with a regional average of 4, 5 births » she adds.
“This demographic profile has consequences for the creation of wealth and the inclusive and sustainable development of countries in the sub-region. And this for several reasons, in particular the high dependency rate, that is to say the proportion of the population on public finances, the capacity of our countries to respond adequately to the needs of these populations, especially young people’s needs in education , health and jobs. Reversing this trend, more than a priority, is an imperative, even an emergency” alert Dr Ngoné Diop.
The Regional Consortium for Generational Economic Research (CREG) called to the rescue at the bedside of the targeted States therefore reflects the common commitment of the institutions and the major changes at the socio-economic level of the countries concerned, with the aim of raising the region, or even the continent on the path to sustainable development. “This present workshop is a perfect illustration of this and constitutes a relevant case to inform all decision-makers and civil society. In this case, the Sensible Budgeting of the Demographic Dividend constitutes the completion of development programming in an environment of major constraints, of scarcity of resources” underlines the Professor Latif Dramani, GREC Coordinator.
Appreciating the technical support of ECA, the Coordinator of the United Nations System in Benin, Mr. Salvator Niyonzima adds: “We came to this workshop which aims to equip these five West African countries. I know that the ECA supported a seminar on the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAf) and it is there again to support the integration of demographic dynamics in sectoral policies, development plans for the capture of dividends”.
And to close the loop of the opening ceremony, the Deputy Director of the Office of the Minister of State in charge of Development and Coordination of Government Action, Mr. Yacoubou Amadou, expresses his satisfaction with the organization of this workshop . “The theme of this workshop is of special importance for our societies. The demographic dividend, a concept that highlights the economic and social potential offered by a well-educated population, is an opportunity that we find again. And to take advantage of this dividend, it is necessary to adopt a Budgeting approach sensitive to the demographic dividend. So this approach is all about allocating resources strategically to maximize benefits.”
The main objective of this workshop is to carry out the retropolation of the DDMI on the last 15 years and the connection to calibrate the index for the years without survey in the targeted countries. More specifically, for each country, this involves: Introduce experts to the DDMI retropolation method; Collect data on all basic DDMI indicators over the past fifteen years; Calculate all the synthetic under-dimensional and dimensional indicators over the last fifteen years; Calibrate the DDMI of the countries over the last fifteen years; and finally Apply calibration and splicing techniques to calibrate the DDMI index for years when survey data are not available.
Indeed, this workshop follows the one organized in February 2022 in Grand Bassam in Côte-d’Ivoire, which enabled the five countries to formulate their roadmaps for the BSDD process in four stages: Development of country profit and calibration of the demographic dividend monitoring indicator; Fiscal transformation; Retropolation and connection as well as the stowing and analysis of the results. The Grand Bassam workshop made it possible to carry out the first two stages of the BSDD process. The Cotonou stage therefore consists of finalizing through the technical stages of the BSDD process.
Several West African countries, particularly from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Senegal and Togo , through the “Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend in the Sahel (SWEDD)” project and/or with the technical and financial assistance of the CREG and UNFPA, have set up the National Observatory of the Demographic Dividend (ONDD).
This workshop, which is taking place on a subject of great interest to West Africa and Africa as a whole, namely the question of population dynamics, economic growth and the creation of job. After an active participation in several capacity building and advocacy sessions, the national actors involved in the mechanisms of strategic planning, budgeting and public policy coherence, plan, through the General Directorates in charge of the budget and Planning and other Departments involved, to be trained in SD-sensitive budgeting.
PH:DR: Family photo of the participants
With the technical and financial support of the Sub-regional Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Regional Consortium for Research in Generational Economics (CREG), the training of Cotonou is subdivided into several key stages: Transformation of the classic budget into a functional budget; Retropolation of the DDMI over the last 10 years; Alignment of the DDMI with the functional budget and Analysis of budget elasticities and production of the report.
Divided into working groups by country,he methodology adopted for this training is both theoretical and practical. The theoretical phase mainly consists of presentations on retropolation methodology and connection techniques, followed by exchanges with the participants. The practical phase builds on the knowledge and understanding acquired during the theoretical phase and applies it to national data from different countries.
The participants are 25 experts from the five countries; i.e. 5 participants per country composed of one (1) from the National Institute of Statistics, one (1) from the General Directorate of Planning, one (1) from the General Directorate of Budget and two (2) from the National Observatory of the Demographic Dividend. Ten (10) CREG experts are deployed for technical supervision at the rate of two (2) supervisors per country. ECA experts are also present to provide technical support to the country teams.
In perspective, a third workshop is also planned for the beginning of July 2023 in Niamey, Niger.
