This region experiences certain difficulties, especially the depletion of natural resources, extreme weather conditions and problems with insecurity, although the economic outlook and scientific dynamics are positive. IRD has worked here since 1946 and has 9 representatives here. The research covers all the priority themes of the Institute: infectious diseases, climate change and natural risks, food security, public health, protection and promotion of marine ecosystems and fisheries resources, etc.
On 24 April 2017, the International Sustainable Intensification Congress (CID), organised by the IESOL and LAPSE IJLs and the Innovation and Variety Improvement in West Africa (IAVAO) research and teaching partnership brought together international experts to discuss issues connected with sustainable intensification in Senegal.
Funded by the European Union (FP7) and coordinated by IRD, NOPOOR is the EU’s largest research programme on poverty in developing countries. The project researchers met for a final conference presenting the work in Dakar in September 2017.
On 14 and 15 November 2017, this meeting organised jointly with the CONSHELM IJL saw the participation of IRD researchers in Benin and Ghana, partners from the University of Ghana and partners from the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin.
Organised jointly by IRD and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, this meeting, which took place in Abidjan on 19 January 2017, brought together over 150 participants and addressed the place of the French language in world health, with reference to a special issue of scientific journal The Lancet entitled “From Social Security to World Health”, co-ordinated by the CEO of IRD, Prof. Jean-Paul Moatti.
With the support of IRD, Ivory Coast, which hosted the 5th AU-EU summit on 29-30 November 2017, launched an appeal to support the creation of an African research Council (ARC) following the model of the European Research Council (ERC).
The Mils d’Or competition is organised by IRD in partnership with the Goethe Institute, the Burkina Institute of Journalists and Scientific Communicators, and the Image and Sound Institute. It aims to use images to share the results of research with the general public.
Deworm3 was launched on 18 December 2017 at the Comé town hall, in Benin, dealing with the treatment of intestinal worm infections.
The South Atlantic Conference took place on 19 and 20 October 2017 at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin.
On the initiative of IRD and the Cameroon cooperation and cultural action service, and in collaboration with the town of Kribi and the Yaoundé 1 and Douala universities, the third Festival of Science brought together around sixty researchers.