The African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) continues in its quest to empower African policymakers with the institute in August hosting 25 officials from 11 Anglophone and 12 Francophone countries for training under its framework of short courses on Social Policy for Development Planners.
Mid-level and senior level policymakers working in the ministries of social affairs and planning in their respective countries participated in the courses meant to support and build the capacity of African policymakers as IDEP facilitates Africa's bid to build its human resource capacity and promote socio-economic development.
Speaking at the beginning of the course, Mr. Simon Njoe, standing in for IDEP Director Mrs. Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane, said sound social policies underpinned the economic development process in developed and middle-income countries, adding such training is crucial for African policymakers to continue to build, upgrade and update their technical aptitudes and proficiencies as they seek to steer economic growth in their respective countries.
He, however, said inequalities remained in most African countries despite the fact that many on the continent have achieved notable progress in social sectors in recent years.
The global economic crisis, he added, threatened to reverse many social gains, requiring state intervention in some countries to ensure income redistribution, equal access to social services and protection against economic shocks.
It was in this context that IDEP organized in 2016 the sixth edition of its short course on Social Policy for Development Planners with the overarching objective being to contribute to the development of a critical mass of highly skilled middle and senior development officials and decision makers on the continent who have a strong social policy consciousness and orientation, and who will be suitably or better equipped to design and manage development plans in which social and economic policies and strategies are fully interfaced to deliver transformative outcomes.
Speaking at the end of the course, Mr. Omar Samb, Director of Projects Evaluation in Senegal's Ministry of Women Affairs, Family and Childhood, representing his minister Mrs. Mariama Sarr, underlined the importance of the course.
He said it provided participants with the opportunity to share experiences and enabled them to appreciate the importance of adopting a holistic approach to policymaking.
Mr. Samb reminded participants of what he said was the important redistributive role of the State given evidence that high growth rates do not automatically translate into better development outcomes.
He added that social issues had to be systematically mainstreamed into development plans for countries to achieve sustainable development and reduce poverty.
Mr. Samp took the opportunity to highlight "Plan Senegal Emergent", Senegal's mid-term development plan whose second axis is devoted to human capital development, social protection and sustainable development.
The closing ceremony was attended by, among others, embassy representatives from countries represented in the course, Professor Jimi O. Adesina, Course Director and Professor at the University of South Africa, as well as management and staff of IDEP.
For their part, members of the diplomatic corps commended IDEP for its continuous capacity development work which they said was of crucial importance for the development of African economies.
Participants were awarded certificates of achievement at the end of the course which ran from 8 to 19 August, 2016.
