To ensure that the ECA is able to effectively support the current dynamic growth and transformation of its member states, it has undergone an organizational re-profiling process, introducing strategic adjustments to enable it to achieve the goal of becoming “the premier think tank in Africa”.

Among the critical elements of this re-profiling is the new Public Information and Knowledge Management Division (PIKMD), which brings together four previously separate functions involved in promoting the visibility and impact of the products and services offered by ECA. The Knowledge and Library Services Section (KLSS) falls under the new PIKMD division and is mandated to provide innovative knowledge solutions which act as a “one-stop-shop” access point for African knowledge products and as coordinator for knowledge facilitation services connecting African Professional Communities, Regional Economic Communities, development partners, and policy makers in member states. The Section, therefore, in its mandate as ECA’s knowledge and innovation hub focuses on:

• Building an integrated KM architecture to federate scattered and stand-alone platforms to create a “one-stop” platform for knowledge in/on Africa
• Connecting KLSS’ work plan with research and training delivered by knowledge generation divisions
• Providing the knowledge delivery support and M&E for capacity development to ECA clients
• Nurturing partnerships for better leverage
• Bridging access to information and knowledge target for all 17 SDGs and Agenda 2063

This new focus positions KLSS in being the interlocutor between “collected” and “connected” knowledge, and as such plays a critical role in making both documented and tacit knowledge available on Africa to development practitioners working in the areas of ECA’s priorities including the production and dissemination of critical ECA publications such as the Country Profiles with the aim of increasing impact and reach of these publications.