Much remains to be done to promote the use of African research findings by decision-makers (in the broad sense) in West and Central Africa. The three-year series of workshops for researchers and decision-makers held in the subregion was an important step. The recommendations put forward by the follow-up committees in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Benin are encouraging. With this publication, IDRC hopes that Africa will further enhance its ability to pragmatically and effectively use its intellectual resources to design and plan for its future. IDRC will continue to work to promote the use of quality African research in policy-making.