The platform was developed jointly by ECA and UNFPA in collaboration with Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry of Planning and Development through the National Population Office.
The initiative was advanced during a regional technical validation and operationalisation workshop held in Abidjan from September 7 to 9, 2026. The meeting was designed to test the platform, strengthen users' technical capacity and prepare the updated tool for wider deployment across the region.
The digital platform is intended to give participating countries a common framework for monitoring progress, identifying areas where implementation is falling short, producing standardised reports and supporting evidence-based policy decisions.
It covers the four major pillars of the African Union's Roadmap on Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in Youth: health and well-being; education and skills development; employment and entrepreneurship; and governance and youth empowerment.
The African Union roadmap was launched in 2017 as part of efforts to help countries turn demographic changes into stronger human capital, employment opportunities and sustainable economic growth.
The Abidjan exercise brought together representatives from eight pilot countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo — alongside technical experts from ECA and UNFPA.
During the three-day exercise, participants tested different functions of the platform and contributed recommendations aimed at improving its updated version.
The tool is expected to make it easier for governments to collect, analyse and visualise relevant information while monitoring progress under the demographic dividend roadmap. It is also designed to help countries identify gaps requiring priority interventions and share experiences and good practices with one another.
For countries participating in the pilot, the platform could provide a stronger link between data, public policy and investment decisions.
In Côte d'Ivoire, officials said the platform could complement existing national systems for monitoring demographic dividend programmes and help identify gaps in areas including health, education, employment and human capital development.
Officials from Niger also highlighted challenges around data availability, reporting and preservation, noting that a common digital system could improve the traceability of indicators and monitoring of results.
The initiative comes at a time when Africa's population is becoming increasingly young, creating both opportunities and challenges for governments.
A large youth population can provide a major economic advantage when countries have the right combination of education, healthcare, skills, employment opportunities and effective governance. Without adequate investment, however, rapid population growth can place additional pressure on jobs, public services and infrastructure.
The ECA has therefore stressed the importance of reliable data in helping governments understand population trends, anticipate future needs and measure whether policies are producing the desired results.
The new platform represents an important step in establishing a more coordinated system for monitoring the implementation of the African Union's demographic dividend agenda.
As the pilot phase progresses towards wider deployment, ECA and UNFPA expect the tool to help countries strengthen accountability and make more informed decisions on investments in young people.
For Africa, the broader goal is to ensure that demographic change does not remain simply a population statistic but becomes an opportunity for stronger economies, better jobs, improved human development and a more prosperous future.
Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia
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