Capacity Strengthening

Demographic Capacity Strengthening in Africa

To help strengthen demographic research in Africa, ACAP has pursued different strategies depending on the needs of, or specific situations of our collaborators. Periodic workshops and conferences/seminars are organized mainly in Africa, and these often center on the use and analysis of African census data. Scholars are also sponsored to visit the University of Pennsylvania for various durations ranging from a few weeks to a year.

Collaborative research programs

In collaboration with various regional and national institutions in the countries, ACAP has initiated various research programs aimed at enhancing the use of census data in development planning. Among such efforts, are four major ones worthy of mention: the collaborative project with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Statistical Committee program on the further analysis of the 2000 round of censuses; the collaborative program of research (with the International Network of field sites for the continuous Evaluation of Population and Their Health in developing countries — INDEPTH Network) on population and health in Africa, the program to strengthen the information base for proactive development planning and lastly, the research program on the situation of orphans in African societies (initial phase covering the Sahel region of Africa).