MID-TERM EVALUATION MEETING FOR THE RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SUPPORT PROGRAM

ECOWAS will launch the evaluation of its Research and Innovation Support Program (PARI) in Cotonou and outline its future direction from June 9 to 12, 2026, at the Azalaï Hotel in Cotonou.

PARI is an ambitious program that addresses key priorities: (i) strengthening investments in research and development, (ii) modernizing the scientific infrastructure of our regional community, and (iii) promoting dynamic regional collaboration by overcoming linguistic and geographical barriers through the establishment of competitive, transdisciplinary, and inclusive research consortia.

PARI stems from the ECOWAS Policy on Science, Technology, and Innovation (ECOPOST), adopted and revised by the Heads of State and Government in 2024. It supports the implementation of regional projects of excellence in priority areas, whether in the life and earth sciences or in basic sciences, technology, and innovation. It promotes researcher mobility, strengthens the capacities of our laboratories of excellence, leverages local knowledge, and contributes to the training of the next generation of scientists, while paying particular attention to gender equality and the support of young researchers.

From 2018 to 2024, PARI provided grants to four (04) consortia, namely: (i) ROSEWOOD, (ii) COVI-RAM, (iii) PHYMEPALU, and (iv) DIABETOX. The four-day meeting in Cotonou is dedicated to conducting a comprehensive and critical assessment of the technical performance of the PARI program’s beneficiary consortia, as well as reviewing and validating its regulatory and legal instruments to prepare for the program’s operational transition toward the new objectives outlined in the ECOPOST 2025–2034 strategy.

Following the welcoming remarks by the ECOWAS Director of Education, Science, and Culture, Dr. Roland KOUAKOU, the official opening address of the meeting was delivered by the ECOWAS Resident Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Amadou DIONGUE, on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY, and the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs (DHAS), Prof. Fatou SOW-SARR.

Ambassador DIONGUE congratulated all stakeholders for their research efforts, which led to the establishment of centers of excellence, particularly the URMAPha at the University of Abomey -Calavi, which was visited by the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Commission on May 9, 2025, during the session of the African Forum for Research and Innovation (FARI-2025).

This visit underscores the ECOWAS Commission’s support for scientific excellence in all its forms. He concluded by inviting participants to make recommendations aimed at injecting new momentum into the PARI Program and further strengthening its impact for the benefit of our community. The meeting will conclude with a visit to the URMAPha laboratory on Thursday, June 11, 2026.