This issue of the IDEP e-Newsletter presents, among other items, the upcoming Agricultural Policy Analysis courses, which are planned to take place in July/August for the English-speaking trainees and in September/October for the French-speaking group. These courses are the first in a series to be offered by the Institute, and the overall aim is to build the requisite capacity for policy design, formulation and implementation in order to ensure better planning in the agricultural sector.

Funded through a four-year grant from the Government of the Netherlands, this training activity is a perfect example of fruitful cooperation between the Institute and its partners. In this regard, it is worth recalling that IDEP has embarked on a drive to consolidate and expand the collaboration with its various partners. This will further enhance the Institute’s capacity to organize training activities in other economic sectors that are of vital importance for the implementation of continent-wide programmes such as NEPAD.

IDEP has included in its agenda, and begun to undertake, a programme of capacity building activities requested by a number of African regional and sub-regional organizations. They include the proposed course on regional integration, which is to be organized in collaboration with the AU, and a proposal for IDEP technical assistance to COMESA. In keeping with its mandate, the Institute will continue to pursue its partnership with African organizations in recognition of their role as key stakeholders and leaders in Africa’s development.

Diéry Seck

Director

UPDATE ON TRAINING ACTIVITIES

In the second quarter of the year, the following activities were carried out:

Five (5) theses were defended:

Odineme Didace: Determinants of Economic Growth: The Case of Congo Brazzaville (19/05/2003);

Hessou K. D. Prince: Wage Bill and Budget Deficit in Togo (19/05/2003);

Masabo Oscar: Effects of External Debt on Private Investment in Rwanda. (20/05/2003);

Alouya P. Essomanam: Analysis of the Determinant Factors of Tax Revenue in Togo (20/05/2003);

Dieng Momar: Analysis of Determinant Factors for Cotton Growing in Senegal (25/06/2003).

Three (3) trainees continued to prepare for their thesis defence:

Cisse Mamadou: Analysis of the Relationship between Unemployment and Education in Senegal;

Kane Amadou Habib: Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth: The Case of Senegal;

Issaka Seydou: Impact of Public Investment on Rural Production in Niger.

Sponsored by The Netherlands Government, which is providing IDEP with core funding through a four-year grant, the courses are the first in a series to be offered by the Institute to African Agricultural Policy decision-makers. One of the key steps towards achieving the 1996 World Food Summit goals in the fight against hunger in the world was the building of the requisite national capacity for policy design, formulation and application in order to establish the right conditions towards removing food insecurity and vulnerability. Given that many African countries are faced with food shortages, the programme will facilitate the creation of skills and capacity for better planning in the agricultural sector.

Two sessions of one month each are planned to take place from 21 July to 22 August 2003 for the Anglophone group and from 22 September to 23 October 2003 for the Francophone group. Participants are middle to high level officials with at least a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and some relevant work experience. For each session, IDEP will offer fellowships to 20 candidates. Up to five other participants could be accepted in the course subject to their securing fellowships from other sources and satisfying the admission requirements. Participants are being selected from:

 

- Ministries responsible for Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development;

- Ministries of Economic Affairs, Finance and Planning;

- National Planning Commissions;

- Agricultural Research Institutes;

- Private Agencies and NGOs involved in agricultural development.

The general objective of the course is to develop skills necessary to meet the challenge of promoting sustainable rural and agricultural development in the context of globalization and a radically changing policy environment. Each session will cover three modules as follows:

Agricultural Development Policies and Rural Poverty in Africa

Course content:

1 : The process of agricultural policy formulation;

2 : Issues and challenges in African agricultural development;

3 : African Agriculture and the WTO;

4 : Rural poverty assessment and control in Africa.

Methods of Investigation and Analytical Instruments

Course content:

1 : Participatory methods for the diagnosis of agrarian systems;

2 : Practice of formal surveys in rural areas;

3 : Logical framework for planning and implementing development actions;

4 : Agricultural policy analysis matrix.

Selected Themes of Empirical Policy Analysis

Course content:

1: Gender analysis in the agro-food system;

2: Analysis of agricultural technologies and investments;

3: Analysis of food security strategies;

4: Sub-sector analysis;

5: Environmental impact analysis of agricultural projects and programs.

IDEP has revived its public lectures offered by guest speakers who are public figures from various institutions.

For the sessions held so far, the presenters came from regional research and training centres, government and other national agencies, inter-governmental organizations, international organizations and the diplomatic service. The audience was drawn from the intellectual community of Dakar and included researchers, university lecturers and students, lawyers, media representatives, and policy makers from the civil service and other public agencies.

From April to June 2003, the following seminars were organized:

Globalization, Democracy and Poverty, by Dr. A. BENBITOUR, (Former Prime Minister of Algeria), 10 April, 2003;

 

African Union: Does it constitute a new hope for Africa? By Prof. S. K. B. ASANTE (International Consultant/ Former UN Principal Regional Adviser), 29 May, 2003;

 

External Debt Situation of Senegal, by Dr. John McINTIRE (Country Director, World Bank), 26 June, 2003.

 

In order to disseminate IDEP's research work to a much wider audience, the Management has decided to publish, under the Graduate Research Series, condensed versions of accepted theses. For this purpose, MA graduate trainees will be providing their condensed copies for publication.

An IDEP's intern, Mr Vinatius Ewane BWEH, from the University of Yaounde II/ Economic Policy Management Programme, presented his paper on 19 June, 2003. His research topic was: "The Limitations of the Banking Sector Reforms in Cameroon"

At the invitation of the Director of the Office for West Africa, the Director of IDEP, Dr. Diery Seck, attended the Sixth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts of the Office for West Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The meeting was held from June 19 to 24, 2003, in Banjul, The Gambia. As the capacity building arm of ECA, IDEP’s participation was important as it enabled the Director to meet with the experts and to collect pertinent information about the policy challenges and priorities of the national governments of West African states. Dr Seck took the opportunity to give a presentation of IDEP’s Medium-Term Strategy and Indicative Work Program 2003-2006. Participants at the meeting came from all the countries of the West African Sub-region and included representatives from international and regional organizations such as the HCR, UNIDO, the Regional Institute for Population Studies and ECOWAS.

 

While in the Gambian capital, the Director had a meeting with officials of the Department of State for Finance of The Gambia. This was a follow-up to preliminary discussions that took place in Dakar with Gambian officials about possible collaboration between the Government of The Gambia and IDEP in the context of IDEP’s program of research and advisory services in the area of Regional Integration.

At the meeting, IDEP was requested to establish concrete collaboration that would lead to the generation of intellectually sound economic debates on issues directly affecting African socioeconomic development.

 

As a follow up to the recent offer to IDEP of a four-year core grant by the Government of the Netherlands, the Director was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands, in April 2003. The purpose of the grant is to help IDEP build institutional capacity and conduct its activities in accordance with its Medium-Term Strategy and Indicative Work Program 2003-2006.

While in Europe, the Director paid a visit to the European Commission Headquarters in Brussels to explore opportunities for further collaboration. The visit also served as a follow-up to the meeting held at IDEP in December 2002, aimed at seeking an appropriate formula for possible EU funding for the Institute.

 

With SISERA now poised for transfer to IDEP in the very near future, the Director of IDEP was invited to attend the Steering Committee and Semi-annual Statutory meetings of SISERA which were held in Mont-Tremblant, north of Montreal, 4-6 June, 2003. The meeting also conducted a retreat aimed at examining the record and future strategy of the SISERA Secretariat.

 

The statutory meeting reiterated the decision of SISERA’s Steering Committee to proceed with the transfer of SISERA to IDEP and indicated that the necessary legal agreements regarding the transfer were being processed.

 

From 7 to 11 June, 2003, the Director met with USAID’s top officials in Washington D.C., to discuss research issues in the areas of: linkage and collaboration regarding IDEP’s Growth Project and USAID’s programmes in African Economic Growth; the scientific collaboration with US Scientists; and the enhancement of the input of Africa-based research output on US support for economic development in Africa.

The USAID officials expressed interest in exploring potential collaboration with IDEP and suggested that IDEP should submit a formal proposal to the Agency for possible approval.

 

Trade issues were also discussed, with the revelation that the TRADE initiative is continuing and seeks to enhance African countries’ capacity for trade policy and negotiations. The Director was also informed that the current mechanism which puts the three regional hubs in Accra, Nairobi, and Gaborone, will be the channel for delivering the program and IDEP could benefit by collaborating with them.

During the mission to Washington, 7-11 June 2003, the Director met with top officials of the World Bank with whom he discussed the Bank’s potential involvement by providing lecturers for IDEP’s short courses.

In particular, the services sought were for building capacity at IDEP either as official contribution of the World Bank to IDEP’s courses or in individual capacities. The Director further had useful discussions with the Bank team responsible for the preparation of the World Development Report, 2004. The team placed considerable emphasis on the issue of the delivery of services and poverty reduction in Africa. It proposed that a short course be organized on the specific subject at IDEP, starting in 2004 and in collaboration with the World Bank. A second possible avenue for the team’s involvement is in the form of research summer camps at which prominent economists could organize seminars and coach IDEP’s trainees in the preparation of theses. It was agreed that the camps could start in June-July 2004.

After the missions in Canada and the USA, the Director attended the CG meeting (12-14 June, 2003), which was chaired by the World Bank and organized with all the development partners that cooperate with Senegal. The goal of the meeting was to create a forum at which issues pertaining to Senegal’s development policies would be discussed in-depth and donors could pledge the level and nature of their funding support for the government. The Government presented a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper which addressed most of the key issues that were discussed during the meeting.

IDEP was given the honour to moderate the final session which focused on the macroeconomic framework of the government. The Director served as moderator for the session. This gave the Institute a high degree of visibility and enhanced its credibility, bearing in mind that all the other sessions were moderated by donors, namely USAID, EU, CIDA and France.

The 50 computers and accessories ordered in the first quarter of 2003 (see Vol. 1. N°1. of IDEP

e-Newsletter) have now arrived. The machines have been benchmarked and installed. Their arrival and installation have made a tremendous improvement to the Institute’s connectivity capacity and have further boosted the morale of the staff and trainees.

The improvements in physical facilities that have taken place in the Library during the last three months have involved the transformation of the Reading Room into a non-service area, dedicating it to readers only. In the past, the Reading Room also housed the Library’s Issue Desk. This often caused noise and interfered with the concentration level of some library users.

Following the orders made at the beginning of the year, several books have now been received, processed and added to the library stacks. The electronic catalogue too has been updated. It is envisaged that more library materials will be ordered on a continuous basis.

One of the overall objectives of the IDEP Library is to ensure timely access to economics data, whatever their sources. An indispensable source of these data and information is to be found in the form of CD-ROM-based Libraries and databases. Since the year 2000, the Library has acquired and continues to collect this form of materials for the benefit of the IDEP community.

 

The CD-ROM Catalogue contains the cumulative collection housed in the library, which is available for consultation by registered library users. The listed CDs can only be read using the computers in the Library reading room. They are treated as reference materials and may not be borrowed. However, faculty Heads may sign out CDs for use in the classrooms. For further information on the rules governing the use of these materials, please refer to the Library Policies and Procedures document.

The policies covered in this document provide for library management information required for book selection and purchase, for better ways to process, to organize, to serve, to train users, and to supervise the flow of work in the IDEP Library. The document presents the policies in 6 chapters, as follows: general library services; acquisition and selection; access; loans; photocopying; and copyright.

From 7 to 11 April, 2003, Mrs. Kibbnesh Wolde Gabriel., IDEP’s Administrator, attended a Public Procurement Course in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The course was intended to meet the training needs of staff members from Government Ministries, NGOs and UN agencies as well as others who wished to acquire basic knowledge and skills in public procurement.  The objective of the course was to enable the participants to:-

1.  Understand the principles of public procurement;

2.  Plan and lead procurement operations for projects;

3.   Solve contract and procurement related problems;

4.  Be ready to undertake more complex procurement and contract requirements;

5.  Be provided with the tools to manage supplies;

6.  Network with an international community of procurement professionals who will have shared this training experience.

The other subjects covered were:-

 

E-ordering - This is creating and approving purchasing requisitions, placing purchase orders, receiving goods and services ordered by using a software system based on internet technology;

 

Incoterms - These are International Chamber of Commerce official rules for the interpretation of trade terms.

A good understanding of this terminology will facilitate the conduct of international trade and avoid the possibilities of misunderstanding and costly disputes regarding sales contracts.

The process of staff training in the use of computers and selected software packages continued during the months of May and June. The training concentrated on MS ACCESS, database management software that will be used by the Institute to compile various types of resource databases. It is envisaged that training in other application software will continue and will be in line with the ongoing upgrading of the ICT platforms at IDEP.

Mr Eric Guedegbe has been recruited as the Senior Computer Assistant. With the arrival of the new equipment, Mr Guedegbe will be kept busy benchmarking, installing and fine-tuning the LAN and Web connections. We all welcome him to IDEP.

After being with IDEP for nearly six years as a Computer Assistant Intern, Mrs Aby Kamara Sanneh left IDEP at the end of June, 2003. Her diligent work and personal drive have tremendously contributed towards the growth and advancement of IDEP’s computer resources. She will be missed by all of us, and particularly by the IDEP trainees, most of whom have learnt how to use computers through her assistance. We all wish her the best of luck in her next moves in life.

© IDEP 2003