Network of
Research Centres and Think Tanks in West Africa
Collaborating
partners
CODESRIA –
Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS)
The Economic
Community of West African States has extended its concerted
efforts to include research centres and think tanks active in
West Africa in its internal dynamics of producing, harnessing of
knowledge and knowledge resources on political, economic,
socio-cultural, peace building and conflict management
initiatives. It is envisaged that such partnerships will have
the added advantage of institutionalizing dialogue between the
Secretariat of ECOWAS and the broad range of research,
training and policy advocacy organisations in the sub-region.
In collaborating
with the ECOWAS secretariat, CODESRIA pre-focuses on what this
potential partnership has to offer. On the one hand, CODESRIA
foresees the advantage of having an unparalleled access to the
official West African public policy community. Through research,
the public policy community will be informed by quality, thought
driven research that would aid in changing policy in desired
ways. The institutionalization of a framework for regular
interaction between the West African policy community and the
knowledge centres in the sub-region offers CODESRIA an
opportunity to contribute to the much needed transcendence of
the dialogue lapse between policy and research communities.
Thirdly, this networking possibility, offers CODESRIA a further
opportunity for collaboration with other research centres and
think tanks.
Activities: A
retreat was held at Maizube Farm- Nigeria from the 26th
to the 27th April 2005. This retreat was to
facilitate reflections on the tasks of ECOWAS – research centres
and think tank collaboration. A second consultative meeting was
held in Accra on the 13th – 14th of March.
