EPGA (‘Political Economy and Autonomous Governance’), a think tank founded in 2015 in Niamey (Niger) is a network of scholars that seeks to produce social science knowledge with a political-economy accent, empirical groundings, and an ambition for theory – in order to influence decision-making at key levels in government and among other stakeholders in its issue areas.
In 2016-17, EPGA focuses especially on youth training and employment, paths of migration and rural population growth in Niger.
In partnership with the Global Development Network, the think tank has completed in its first year a wide-ranging study of the environment of social science research in Niger and plans to contribute to the ongoing reform of social science research systems in Francophone West Africa. EPGA was founded by, 2016 SWOP fellow Dr Rahmane Idrissa.
http://www.epga-afric.org/