He said the ECA would strengthen its crucial role in promoting research and analysis on demographic dynamics and integrating relevant demo-economic policies into development programmes.

Mr Dosso said this at the opening of a two-day validation workshop of the Study on the Operationalisation of ECA Centre on Demographic Dynamics for Development (DDD), in Accra.

The DDD is a game-changer, guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and African Union Agenda 2063 goals.

It is to support the Continent to effectively address one of its key challenges: sustained and inclusive economic growth that would create decent jobs, especially for young people.

Mr Dosso acknowledged that population and development policies were instrumental in the Sustainable Development Goals and the national development agendas related to health, education, gender, and economic growth and said they should be taken seriously.

He noted that the West African sub-region was at the forefront of issues related to population dynamics and development, experiencing a slow pace of economic growth in recent years, averaging 2.5 per cent.

Mr Dosso said the proportion of people in precarious employment stood around 73 per cent, with the incidence of poverty exceeding 40 per cent, except for Cape Verde (31.8 per cent) and Ghana (38.6 per cent), while having a young population of 44 per cent under 15 years.

Dr Leticia A. Appiah, the Executive Director of the National Population Council, urged governments in the sub-region to muster the political will to implement policies that hinged on demographic issues for optimum development.

She said ECA's study on the DDD was an apt priority as the Sub-region continued to be the fastest growing among the comity of nations though the recent Global Competitive Index showed lower productivity levels.

She called for a relook of the growth dynamics in the country and sub-region as growth above two per cent impaired development.

Dr Appiah indicated that 40 per cent poverty levels and rising youth population of 44 per cent could derail all demographic dynamics and become a security threat adding; "If we want to solve the unemployment dynamics of today, then we should have laid that foundation 15 years ago."

She said priority should be given to education and family planning issues to be able to achieve the SDGs and AU Development Agenda 2063.

She entreated governments to come out from their comfort zones to make life better and meaningful for the citizens.

Mr Amadou Diouf, Economist at the ECA West Africa, expressed the hope that a strategic direction and an action plan 2019-2022, would be formulated by the close of the session, as a mechanism for coordination, monitoring, and evaluation.