Page 36 - AERC Strategic Plan 2 July2020

THE AERC 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

2: Ensure Sustainability

Outcome 1: Scale-up economic policy research and graduate training support to
advance institutional capacity building in the region.

AERC will support institutional capacity building in the region by:

» Collaborating with directorates of economic affairs and research units at
ministries of finance, central banks, national policy research institutes, and think
tanks to enhance staff research and policy skills;
» Implementing the GoK Capacity Building Project for Economic Policy Analysis
model in one country of each subregion: Southern, Western, and Central Africa;
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» Strengthening institutional expertise on data collection and analysis; research
methodology; econometric modeling; policy analysis; development of research-
based policy briefs through research mentorship and specialized short-term
technical training for policy analysts and researchers in government institutions;
national think tanks; and policy research institutes;

» Providing direct technical assistance to government entities, including national
think tanks, in designing policy interventions;
» Providing institutional support to universities in the network and from under-
represented countries to strengthen capacity to mount quality graduate training
of economists through blended learning at JFE/SFSE, retooling workshops, and
faculty exchange programmes;

» Creating a visiting scholars programme for central-bank members of AERC’s
Central Bank Governors Forum to improve research capacity and offer
customized services to inform policy approach, including specialized meetings
and reports;

» Deepening outreach to fragile and post-conflict countries for participation in the
Governors Forum by sharing/underwriting membership contributions; and

» Initiating a call for papers on topical research areas, including transport
and movement across the region (regional integration); domestic resource
mobilization; tax policy; climate change; and structural framework for effective
policymaking (central banks and ministries of finance).

The Purpose

Establishment of partnerships with research units at ministries of finance, central banks,
national policy research institutes, and think tanks is aimed at building a pool of qualified
economists and policy analysts equipped with the latest tools of economic analysis for
effective policy analysis and policy formulation. This will promote a sustainable and
higher level of economic growth and development in the economies of SSA. This will also

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