Niamey, Niger, February 10, 2023 - The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, in collaboration with the Office Nigérien de la Population (ONP), organized a policy dialogue on budgetary financing of the demographic dividend in Niger on February 8, 2023.
The meeting was held in a context where the population of Niger, which was 3.2 million in 1960, is estimated to reach 25.32 million in 2021, a more than sevenfold increase in the national population over the period.
The purpose of the meeting was to inform parliamentarians about the process of capturing the demographic dividend in Niger and the preliminary results of the implementation of demographic dividend budgeting.
The opening ceremony of this political dialogue was chaired by the Director General of ONP, Mr. Abarchi Habibou, in the presence of the Acting Director of the ECA Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, Bakary Dosso, several members of Niger's parliament, representatives of the United Nations System in Niger, representatives of sectoral ministries and several other guests.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, the Director General of ONP, Mr. Abarchi Habibou, praised the strong political commitment of Niger authorities to the process of capturing the demographic dividend and gave the situation as it stands today in Niger, with a fertility rate of 6.8 children per woman, which is the highest in the world.
To meet this major challenge, the Director General of ONP drew the attention of parliamentarians to what he called "responsible parenthood", which, according to him, is the necessary step for capturing the demographic dividend.
For his part, Bakary Dosso, Acting Director of the ECA's Sub-Regional Office for West Africa, said that "Niger is engaged in the process of Demographic Dividend Responsive Budgeting and has made a lot of progress.
However, Bakary Dosso continued, "in connection with the efforts undertaken, for the demographic dividend to be truly harnessed, the tool of Demographic Dividend Responsive Budgeting must be used in decision-making that informs public policy.
"In this area, Parliament plays an important role in the budgetary process, particularly in terms of authorizing, controlling and determining public expenditures," explained the Acting Director of the ECA's Sub-Regional Office for West Africa.
"We therefore expect a strong commitment from Parliament and the use of parliamentary mechanisms to integrate the framework of Demographic Dividend Responsive Budgeting into the recommendations made on the Government's budgetary policy and to systematize the evaluation of public policies in light of the demographic dividend’s pillars," concluded Bakary Dosso.
The meeting was attended by several Nigerien parliamentarians, representatives of sectoral ministries, the United Nations System in Niger and ONP.
For further information, please contact : Tahirou Gouro, Communication Officer, ECA- SRO/WA Email : gouro2@un.org,