FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 23 March 2023: The Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kai-Kai, was joined by Ms. Nadia Rasheed, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in a visit to the Institute of Population and Development Studies (IPDS) at Fourah Bah College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone, on 23 March 2023.

UNFPA and the Ministry helped to create the foundation for the Institute in 1974 by establishing a Demographic and Research Training Unit at the University of Sierra Leone.  UNFPA provided technical assistance and funds for the set-up of the training unit, which expanded to become the Institute of Population and Development Studies. The Institute currently offers an undergraduate program in Population and Development Studies, a certificate in Population Analysis and Social Statistics, and a Master of Science degree in Population and Development Studies. It also supports research on key areas related to population and development and provides professional in-service training opportunities in the field of demography and population studies.

Addressing the administration and students, the UNFPA Representative thanked the Minister for providing a platform to strengthen collaboration between the Institute, UNFPA and the Ministry, and highlighted joint initiatives with the Ministry and Institute to support Demographic and Health Surveys, development of demographic dividend profiles, and consultations for Voluntary National Reviews of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and on commitments towards the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), among other areas.

She emphasized that “academic institutions like the Institute of Population and Development Studies play a vital role in helping countries to achieve their development goals, by building human resource capacity, generating data, knowledge and research, and informing evidence-based policy and practice,” adding “UNFPA is proud to be associated with IPDS and look forward to opportunities to continue to strengthen synergy and collaboration.”

In his statement, Minister Kai-Kai informed the audience that the primary objective of the visit was to officially introduce the UNFPA Country Representative in order to ensure that ongoing collaboration between UNFPA, the Institute and the Ministry can be further strengthened and scaled-up.  He expressed that the visit was an opportunity to rekindle the triangular relationship in the interest of students, the Institute, and the future of population and development studies and priorities in the country. He assured the administration and students of his personal commitment and that of his Ministry to the objectives and mission of IPDS. “We are ready to support the review of your programs and to strengthen our collaborative efforts on population and development data and research,” he said.

The Minister also recognized and touched on the need to integrate new disciplines into the IPDS teaching program, connect the Institute with other institutions, strengthen research, and expand internship opportunities for students.

The chairman of the occasion marking the visit, Mr. Beresford Weekes, warmly welcomed Minister Kai-Kai and the UNFPA Representative. He acknowledged their inspirational remarks, noting that their presence meant a lot for the institute, as both of their agencies had played a critical role in building the school into what it is today. He stated that “the Institute has benefitted from the long-standing relationship with UNFPA since the early 1970s. Their joint support with MoPED has been timely in ensuring that demographers are well-equipped with the knowledge and skills to collect, analyze, and report population-level data for key policy and decision-making.”

During his presentation, the Ag. Director of IPDS, Mr. Bartholomew Bockarie noted that “a lot has been done since the inception of the institute 50 years ago, from collaborating to train a number of demographers and statisticians, to contributing to the development of policies in Sierra Leone”. He highlighted key future plans of the institute, including a need to redesign the curriculum and incorporate marketable modules to meet contemporary standards and improve the skills of the demographers graduating from the Institute.  He added that the Institute is striving to meet the educational needs of the students amidst recurring challenges, as they looked forward to furthering collaboration to enhance the faculty, staff capacity and research.

Responding to the statements made, the president of the IPDS student society expressed appreciation that the Ministry and UNFPA chose to visit the Institute. “With the help of internships, students will be well capacitated and gain a wealth of experience in our field of studies,” he noted. Already, the UNFPA Representative and the Minister had facilitated revival of an internship program for students as a learning ground to build their careers. UNFPA is currently hosting interns from IPDS to enable them to gain practical work experience and contribute to the organization’s activities in Sierra Leone.

The visit highlighted the unique historical collaboration for the development and transformation of IPDS and provided a platform to discuss progress and challenges in the work of the Institute. These discussions will also inform future actions to enhance the Institute’s contributions to the development of Sierra Leone, including through support for population and development research, policy and planning.

Media Contacts:

Islander Kabia | Communications Unit| UNFPA Sierra Leone | e-mail: ikabia@unfpa.org