Objectives: This call concerns Day 2 of the Forum, which will focus on academic exchange around research papers. The goal is to provide constructive and contextually-grounded feedback on recently conducted or ongoing research, expose Forum participants to a variety of methodological approaches, and support participants in positioning their work with both international academic debates and the regionally defined research agenda that will be introduced on Day 1.

Keynotes: Jenny Aker (Cornell University), Moussa Blimpo (University of Toronto) and other scholars (to be announced).

Eligibility: This call is open to:

• macro and micro papers on the economics of digitalization in Sub-Saharan Africa, 
• written by young researchers, i.e. currently pursuing a PhD or have obtained their PhD within the last five years.
• who are nationals of an African country.

 

For submissions of comparable quality, priority will be given to submissions co-authored and presented by female researchers, as well as to candidates based at research centres in Africa, and to research on digital technology focusing specifically on West Africa.

This call is highly competitive: less than a dozen candidates will be selected and invited to present their paper.

Topics: We invite the submission of high-quality research macro and micro papers in development economics, focusing on the role of digital technology in development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Possible themes covered are, but not confined to, the following:

• Socio-economic impacts of connectivity infrastructures
• Digital platforms and financial/labour/input/produce markets functioning
• Digital technology diffusion and gender equality
• Access to digital financial services and food security
• Digitalization, institutional and cultural changes
• Digital regulations, AI adoption, and development paths
• General-equilibrium and spillover effects of digital technologies
• Digitalization, production networks and trade linkages
• Enabling factors for digital transformation

 

Each presenter will receive structured feedback during the workshop from a designated discussant and the chairperson.

Post-Forum mentorship: Beyond the Forum, selected young researchers will also benefit from mentorship by an experienced researcher, who will provide advice on positioning their paper, submission to scientific journals and sharing their work at seminars and conferences.

Submission guidelines: Submit a full paper and a CV in English or in French to the Forum portal by the 3rd of May 2026 (23:59 CET).

The following information must be provided: title, abstract, author(s), and information about the author submitting the article. Provide eligibility and priority information in the comment section. For more details, please see the practical information page.

Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Calendar:

• Submission deadline: 3rd of May 2026 
• Notification of acceptance: 18th-19th of May 2026
• Forum registration deadline: 24th of May 2026
• Forum dates: 7th to 9th of July 2026 (tbc)