From August 3rd to 4th, IFPRI Dakar hosted a sub-regional meeting for French-speaking countries covered by the ReSAKSS (Benin, Burkina-Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal and Togo). The purpose of this meeting was to create electronic atlases for these countries. The objective is to promote the development of the agricultural sector across the continent through access to a wide variety of data related to production, distribution and food consumption. Also, this platform that will be available online, has been designed to compensate for the limitations of many institutions based in Africa (limited network, and expensive hardware).

Concretely, the opportunity is given by the national SaKSS to facilitate data collection in the different countries. Stakeholders welcomed the IFPRI initiative which, in their view, will allow better storage of data for efficient use. The platform will provide stakeholders with the necessary knowledge for policy development and food-related decision-making, while improving monitoring and evaluation systems through the provision of data, products and cutting-edge tools. Designed for a quick handling, the e-Atlas is intended to be a tool of proximity that researchers and even neophytes can use without hassle.  

 For further information, please contact: M. Abd Salam El Vivaly (a.s.elvilaly@cgiar.org).

ReSAKSS: Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System. This network of databases designed for Africa compiles, analyzes and disseminates information for designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating rural development strategies. 

SAKSS: Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System. This network of databases designed for Africa compiles, analyzes, and disseminates information for designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating rural development strategies.