Building Policy-Oriented Research Agendas for the Digital Age in West Africa and the Sahel

Photo: 2025 Evidence Fair

Timeline

2025-2026 (Pilot)

Geographical Scope

West Africa and Sahel

Partners

Agence française de développement (AFD), Robert Bosch Foundation, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), African Center for Equitable Development (ACED)

Overview

Digital transformation is reshaping societies across West Africa and the Sahel, creating new opportunities while also changing social needs and policy challenges in governance, health, education, social cohesion, and peace. Yet these evolving needs remain poorly understood, leaving a gap between digital investments and the evidence needed to guide them.

GDN addresses this gap by supporting policy-oriented research agendas that bring together researchers, governments, digital ecosystem stakeholders, civil society, and development partners to identify shared evidence priorities and promote inclusive digital transformation.

Through multidisciplinary consortia, the pilot aims to:

  • Build partnerships to better understand emerging social needs and strengthen development interventions.
  • Connect research with public and private digital investment strategies to inform decision-making.

  • Support participatory, collaborative, and locally led research approaches that foster innovation and informed public debate.

Our Approach

GDN partners with national, policy-oriented research centres to embed research innovation throughout the process—from defining questions to designing and testing methodologies. The project explores participatory and collaborative approaches to generate policy-relevant evidence and strengthen public debate.

The project:

  • Identifies research priorities: Works with policymakers to identify knowledge gaps linked to digital policy priorities. The pilot identified 35 questions across six thematic areas.
  • Refines research agendas: Works with research centres to assess evidence gaps and identify where research can inform policy and public debate.
  • Builds research consortia: Connects researchers, research institutions, policymakers, and funders to develop relevant, fundable research programmes. Six consortia have been established across seven countries.
  • Tests research innovation: Pilots participatory and collaborative methods to generate evidence and engage stakeholders.
  • Builds regional knowledge: Documents research approaches and findings to inform debates on inclusive digital transformation.

Selected Consortia

Six multidisciplinary consortia are currently part of the initiative:

  • Laboratoire Société-Environnement (Benin), Collectif CRAM-CRAM (Mali), and Kassoum Berthé (Mali): explore how digital innovations can contribute to better governance of shared natural resources and strengthen social cohesion.
  • CIFOEB – Centre d’Information, de Formation et d’Études sur le Budget (Burkina Faso), Laboratoire d’Economie Publique (Benin), and Dr Tchakouni Sondou: explore the links between digital citizen participation and the effectiveness of public action.
  • CARDES – Centre de recherche panafricain pour le développement économique et social (Burkina Faso), LASDEL (Benin) and Marie-Thérèse Daba Sène: explore how public services can be designed and delivered in ways that leave no one behind.
  • LAEREAG – Laboratoire d’Études et de Recherche en Économie Appliquée et Gestion (Chad), Dr G. Angelo Kpotounou (Benin), and Dr Marc Francis Dayamba (Burkina Faso): explore how models of cyberspace governance in the age of AI can help shift digitalisation from a source of dependency towards a lever for national sovereignty.
  • Mauritanie Perspectives (Mauritanie), CESPO (Benin), and Babacar Fall (Senegal): explore how the digitalisation of public services is reshaping social inequalities, institutional trust and citizen engagement. 
  • CERTIS – Centre d’Études et de Recherche en Technologies et Innovations Socio-Sanitaires et économiques (Burkina Faso), CERMAQ (Benin), and Dr Hamitande Dout (Togo): explore which indicators can provide relevant and comparable measures of digital participation and inclusion across the region.
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LATEST UPDATES

EVENT | West African Digital Transformations Forum in Cotonou

Held in Cotonou, Benin, from 7–9 July 2026, the inaugural Forum brought together researchers, think tanks, and research institutions to strengthen knowledge on digital transformation in West Africa. Six consortia presented research proposals on digital inclusion, inequality, context-sensitive indicators, and frameworks for the region’s digital agenda. Discussions emphasised moving beyond catching up with global digital innovation towards shaping the global agenda, with research that addresses current challenges and anticipates future ones.

EVENT | 2026 Evidence Fair in Abidjan

The third Evidence Fair brought together around 20 think tanks from the Sahel and West Africa, alongside researchers, policymakers, civil society, and development partners, to explore how research can contribute credibly to public policy. Organised by GDN with support from the Agence Française de Développement, the Fair highlighted the importance of relationships, collaboration, and inclusive dialogue in strengthening research impact. These principles have also been central to developing the digitalisation and governance research agenda.

WEBINAR | What Research Is Needed to Support Digital Transformations in West Africa and the Sahel?

Held on 25 March 2026, the webinar brought together around 150 researchers, think tanks, and digital and development stakeholders to discuss research priorities for digital transformation in the region. The session shared progress on GDN’s regional research agenda on digital transformations and governance, launched in 2025 with ACED and supported by AFD, IDRC, and the Robert Bosch Foundation. Contributions from around 10 think tanks helped identify key knowledge gaps, followed by an open discussion on regional research priorities.

EVENT | 2025 Evidence Fair in Cotonou

Held in Cotonou, Benin, on 21–22 May 2025, the second Evidence Fair brought together researchers, digital agencies, civil society, private sector, and development actors to identify research priorities for digital transformation and governance. Co-hosted by GDN and ACED with ASIN-Bénin, the event generated 35+ research questions on digital equity, inclusive governance, and regional integration, and launched a shared effort to develop a regional research agenda.

Stay Connected

If you have questions, please contact aniang@gdn.int.

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