Demographic Dividend in the Sahel

Despite recent strong economic growth, several countries in the Sahel  have not seen a commensurate increase in per capita income nor in equality between men and women. Fertility remains the highest in the world, and the pace of the demographic transition in the region has been slow. There is strong evidence that empowering women and youth is a main catalyst to trigger a “demographic dividend,” which would greatly benefit these countries. This session will share best practices and innovative approaches to supporting women’s and girls’ empowerment and men’s contributions to gender equality from the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) initiative.This session is convened by CREFAT-CREG University of Thiès Senegal and Promundo.