Union for African Population Studies (UAPS)
From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations
Union for African Population Studies (UAPS)
BP 21007 Dakar-Ponty
Dakar - SENEGAL
Tél.: 221 825 59 51/824 35 28
Fax 221 825 59 55
Email: uaps@sentoo.sn / uaps@uaps.org
Website: http://www.uaps.org
Dr Stephen O. Kwankye
RIPS, P.O. Box LG 96
University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
Tel: 233-21-500274
Fax: 233-21-500273/500310
Cell: 233-277-602486
Email: kwankyes@ug.edu.gh
Dr Benjamin Zanou
Ecole Nationale Superieure de Statistique et Economie Appliquee (ENSEA)
08 B.P 3 Abidjan 08, Cote d’Ivoire Tel: 225 22-44-41-15
Cell: 225-0649-08-86
Email: b_zanou@yahoo.fr
Description
The Union for African Population Studies (UAPS) with headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, is a scientific, pan-African, nonprofit organization created as an initiative of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa in March 1984. The Union operates in the following countries; Benin, Cameroon, Cote de Ivoire, Kenya, Lesotho, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and South Africa.
UAPS’ objectives include promoting the scientific study of population in Africa through research, training, information, technical assistance and cooperation, to encourage collaboration among specialists of population issues in all African countries, facilitate the conduct of studies and research on key population issues in Africa and to ensure the broadest dissemination possible of scientific information concerning population problems in Africa as well as ensuring they are taken on board in the development strategies of African countries.
To achieve its objectives, the Union has adopted a multi-optional strategy that involves encouraging collaboration among experts of population issues within African countries and monitoring and facilitating studies and research work on population issues in African countries. It also focuses on guaranteeing mainstreaming and integration of population issues in the development strategies of the African countries, ensuring the wider dissemination of research findings and scientific information on population issues across African countries and stimulating interest among governments, national, regional and international organizations and scientific associations for research on population issues in African countries.
UAPS’ activities hinge on the following four components: information that encompasses editing, publication and dissemination of a scientific journal, a newsletter and various other scientific publications; the setting up of a documentation centre; and organizing conferences and seminars. On the other hand, training includes organization of seminars/workshops for initiation and retraining in new research approaches and methods (data collection and analyses); the drafting and formulation of research proposals and study reports; and, the use of research findings. The organization also involves itself in research through giving grants for individual research and/or in commissioning of studies through the setting up of networks and in assistance and technical cooperation through the provision of technical and scientific support to the public, parastatal or private institutions as well as the other scientific organizations working in the field of population. In addition to these components, the Secretariat continues to carry out activities geared towards the Union’s institution building.
UAPS seeks funding from governments, international organizations such as the Hewlett Foundation, civil society organizations and UN agencies such as UNFPA and UNDP.
Track Record
UAPS has reached numerous milestones. The Union contributes to research networks and the improvement of knowledge on African Population. It brings together multidisciplinary scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and partners to discuss population and development challenges facing the continent. Participants engage in scientific and policy discourse to help Africa engage meaningfully in its population development agenda. The success of such interactions is measured by not only the quality of scientific papers and how many people attend, but even more importantly by how much progress the continent has made in addressing poverty, population and health issues in the past decades as a result of presentations and forged networks. Besides, the Secretariat has been providing a list of UAPS resource members to various institutions (such as AWARE, Advance Africa, Network of African Parliamentarians, and IPDSR of University of Cheikh Anta Diop) for the organization of conferences, seminars, colloquiua, etc.
Further, UAPS has been very successful in giving institutional support to other organizations. During the 3rd quarter of 2004, the UAPS Secretariat provided support in the form of books to the “Institut de Formation et de Recherches en Population, Développement et Santé de la Reproduction” of the University of Dakar during the World Population Day celebrations. In addition, UAPS gives its publications to a number of universities for free. The John Harris Library of the University of Benin in Nigeria was also added to the list of libraries to start receiving UAPS publications.
The organization has organized a number of successful conferences on emergent issues in the community. For instance the Union organized an international conference on the Social Sciences and HIV and AIDS in Africa: New Insights and Policy Perspectives at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This organization was in conjunction with OSSREA, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and Social Sciences and Medicine Africa Network (SOMA-NET). In addition, the organization collaborated with IUSSP in preparing its Fourth African Population Conference that focused on "Population and Poverty in Africa" and was held in Tunis in December 2003.
Besides, the Union runs a Small Grants Program (SGP) for junior researchers although this had been interrupted up to 2006 following SIDA-SAREC’s decision to suspend funding to UAPS. Thematic Research Networks (TRN) for senior researchers have been flourishing with the current TRNs being demographic Data Collection and Analysis: Civil Registration Systems, Census, Surveys, Surveillance Systems which is entirely a UAPS network funded by UNFPA; reproductive Health, Maternal and Child Mortality, equally an entirely UAPS network funded by UNFPA; Culture, Gender and Demographic Processes which functions in collaboration with CEPED; Family Determinants of Schooling which also functions in collaboration with UERD/ ISSP and CEPED: HIV/AIDS and Emerging Diseases which functions in collaboration with CODESRIA.
It also publishes and distributes the African Population Studies Journal, Newsletters, Reports from the Thematic Research Networks and other research activities and promotion of dissemination activities and dialogue between researchers, policy makers and development partners through conferences, seminars etc.
UAPS collaborates with like-minded regional organizations especially those that deal with research on issues of population. The Director and the members have attended many fora and presented position papers on behalf of the Union. Some of these fora include the CODESRIA-CROP Comparative Poverty Research Workshop held in Dakar in 2005; the APAPS/PISR Workshop held in Dakar in 2005; the UNESCO Regional Seminar in Douala; and, Members of the Franco- African Research Network seminar organized by UNESCO in Douala.
Challenges
Notwithstanding the couple of milestones mentioned above, there are challenges that UAPS faces as it tries to meet the pressing needs for demographic research and training stemming from current and anticipated population and development conditions on the African continent. First, there are inadequate facilities for research and training, including deficient libraries computer installations and transportation difficulties for field studies. The organization relies on the grants it gets to facilitate this work but given the dwindling confidence in the union among members and donors, the organization is facing the challenge of budgetary constraints of the union’s activities.
Besides, there is a problem of scarce human resources and serious gaps at senior staff levels. There is also insufficient membership participation in the union’s activities. Further, there is inadequate evaluation of research and there are too many poor and superficial research products. Inadequate staff also often leads to low levels of exploitation of data collected in field surveys or available in censuses and other government statistics.
There is need for different organizations to put greater trust in sharing data, in critiquing each other's research, in evaluating proposals and interacting with scholars and policy makers. This would elevate the levels of collaboration between the many organizations in the same or even different fields.
Since most available funding is often too limited in amount and is restricted to core operations, there is inadequate freedom in the use of available funds for enriching the research and/or training programs to meet pressing needs.
All the goals of the Union would be achieved more easily by the availability of an inventory of technical expertise, training programs, physical infrastructure, data files, etc that exist within the region and can be tapped for research and training activities. The fact that different organizations are not fully aware of each other's programs and facilities attests to the pressing need for more and better exchange of information and fuller cooperation. Such an inventory would also enhance the opportunity to avoid unnecessary duplication of facilities and endeavors when these can be shared effectively.
Opportunities
In spite of these challenges, the Union has shown great potential. Stronger integration of training and research is a highly desirable way to enrich the training experience, for staff to remain current on the latest research methods and findings and as an important means for strengthening linkages of research to policy since many trainees eventually take positions in planning and other government agencies. This presents an opportunity for UAPS to train its staff in more advanced technological developments in its area of concern. In addition, there is need for interventions that can address institutional strengthening and build the capacity of UAPS to better tap its membership potential. Secondly, the small grants program is a very positive idea that should be strengthened as it allows for the mentoring of young researchers thus broadening the pool of experts in the area of population research.
Government, intergovernmental agencies, NGOs, foundations and UAPS should exert effort towards reinforcing African research centers to enable them respond better to the serious challenges of integrating population and development programs to accelerate improvements in the quality of life. This requires fuller integration of training, research, input to policy formation and evaluation of policy effectiveness.
In doing so, it must be recognized that demographic research and training in Africa is at a turning point—in transition from a heavy stress on and concern with strictly demographic perspectives such as rates of growth, to a concern with and emphasis on the determinants and consequences of demographic change. UAPS should take advantage of the emergent areas in order to give pioneering results and thus set the pace for other research bodies and individuals.
On the other hand, UAPS must look within the African region for help and inspiration because it is from within this region that the most effective assistance can probably come. Besides, UAPS has the opportunity of providing a most valuable channel for achieving the type of interaction and guidance that would benefit individual centres. UAPS is an ideal organization for regional networking, for issuing a regional journal and newsletter, for fostering cooperative training and research. Through it, cooperative use of intra-regional expertise, data resources, and processing facilities can be maximized. Centres should take much greater advantage than is currently the case of the various channels of communication that UAPS has developed.
Similarly, an inventory of centre needs should also be developed so that other institutions, both within and outside the region, can learn how they can be helpful. There are, for example, a number of institutions and even individual scholars in more developed countries who are willing and even eager to contribute library materials and journals, and sometimes even equipment; to share computer software, working papers, newsletters, and their expertise; to develop cooperative research and/or training programs. But first, needs and opportunities must be identified.
The UAPS is a strong player especially in the area of research and analysis on population. Given its regional outlook, the organization has great potential for collating and analyzing data that can give policy guidance on issues of regional population trends and their implications on different aspects, e.g. health, the economy etc. However, the lack of structural and institutional capacity has compromized this potential and has therefore not allowed effective harvesting of the abilities and capacities of the members.
