Research our areas
Identifying, exploring and analyzing new West African trends through partnerships and action-research
Governance
Governance
The inclusive management of public affairs, which implies taking into account the interests of the various stakeholders involved, is a challenge facing West African communities. The sectors in which this challenge is most acute are many and varied but the goal of our research is to target the modes of consensus-building at work in West Africa, based above all on local dynamics.
Peace and conflict
Peace and conflict
In West Africa, there are many sources of tension and conflict (Sahel, between countries, within countries, etc.), as well as threats posed by the presence of military powers on its soil. Exploring the causes of these tensions and the mechanisms for resolving them (dialogue, agreement, mediation, etc.) are research challenges to be met in order to help establish conditions conducive to lasting peace in the sub-region.
Migration
Migration
The West African sub-region has one of the highest mobility rates in Africa. It is important to disentangle the different types of mobility that take place there, and the motivations attached to them, in order to develop common migration policies for the region, capable of enabling dialogue with the rest of the world on the global governance of this critical issue.
Youth Engagement
Youth Engagement
West Africa has a young population, with around 60% under the age of 25. This demographic potential represents a strength, but also a challenge in terms of employment, education and civic participation. The mobilization of these social cadets is booming, illustrated as it is by their strong involvement in public debates through the construction of narratives on their underemployment, corruption, democracy, but above all sovereignism and the rediscovery of self-esteem through aggressive hostility towards former colonizing powers. From this point of view, digital platforms provide new spaces for expression, revealing the mechanisms of opinion-making among this segment of the West African population.
Community Health
Community Health
How can we guarantee the health security of West African populations in a context of climate change and increasing sub-regional tensions and conflicts? The latter often encourage population displacement, which is a breeding ground for a variety of pathologies and endemic diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable groups, such as children.