With our colleagues Prof. Jacques Emina (at PHERI/Univ. of Kinshasa) and Prof. Seni Kouanda (Institut Africain de Santé Publique, Burkina Faso) and their respective institutions, we at OASIS are working on a research initiative funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). The overarching goals are to research and model fertility transition trajectories in 7 Sahelian/Francophone countries of West Africa (Burkina Faso, DRC, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone) and to identify key drivers of change in each country, and to share relevant findings to help government decision-makers identify and prioritize the most effective interventions, policies and strategies for national investment.

The four specific research questions are:

1.     What are the main drivers of fertility transitions (changes in fertility) in the study areas?

2.     What are the profiles of the groups of women/girls most in need of interventions for accelerating fertility transitions in the study areas?

3.     When and through which pathways can Step-Up countries achieve demographic transitions?

4.     Which simulation models and intervention configurations show most promise for more accelerated demographic transitions?