Reflecting on the 12th Annual Africa Evidence Summit
By Laura Were
Last month the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) co-hosted the 12th annual Africa Evidence Summit in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. The summit brought together over 350 participants comprising of East and West African scholars, U.S based faculty and global policymakers and practitioners to discuss the latest evidence on economic development and poverty alleviation in Africa. The summit was held in partnership with Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), the Mawazo Institute, Twaweza, and the Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL)
In his keynote address, Tanzania's Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adolf Mkenda, emphasized on the critical importance of research and education in addressing development challenges faced by Sub-Saharan African countries. Prof. Mkenda challenged researchers to rigorously test their evidence, ensuring its credibility and reliability.
The summit featured several research presentations on diverse themes including Prof Edward Miguel’s (CEGA Founder) presentation on “Preparing for an aging Africa” which highlighted the need for strategies that are aligned with changing demographic shifts. Constantine Manda (ESRF Impact Evaluation Lab Co-Founder) research presentation on COVID-19 Vaccination provided valuable insights potentially shaping future public health and vaccination strategies within Tanzania. Additional research presentations from Muthoni Ng’anga (Assistant Professor Wilfrid Laurier University) and Aimable Nsabimana (Research Fellow at UN University-WIDER) on their study “Smart Classrooms and Education Outcomes: Evidence from Rwanda” revealed that while classroom technology can indeed enhance learning, such effects are only realized after a long exposure period - a key insight for policymakers considering investments in educational technology.
NIERA’s Founding Program Manager, Jennifer Nyakinya presented results from a baseline survey on the “Artistic Pathways for Youth Employment in Kenya. The study tests the effectiveness of a flipped creatives model (that begins with the market to production and back to market) in overcoming systemic barriers in the creative industry and generating decent and sustainable jobs for the youth.
APHRC held an engaging session highlighting their efforts in shaping health interventions across Africa. Their work intersects research, capacity strengthening, and policy engagement in 34 African countries. The team also discussed some of their recent innovations such as the Africa Research Connect (ARC), a web-based portal that aims to increase visibility of African scholars and their institutions as well as facilitate collaborations and funding opportunities.
The Summit featured several poster presentations that focused on research and organizational initiatives allowing those in attendance to explore diverse research topics and programs. Notably NIERA’s Demand Driven Research Initiative grant awardees had an opportunity to feature their research projects at the poster session. These projects include: Gamified Savings as a Problem Gambling intervention by Laura Barasa (University of Nairobi) and Annet Adong (Post-doctoral Researcher, Center for Development Research at University of Bonn) ; Impact of the Switch from Ten to Five Dose Measles Rubella (MR) Vaccines in Kenya by Dr. Apollo Maima (Maseno University); The Impact of Community-Based Health Insurance on Health Service Utilization: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia by Dr. Alebel Bayrau and Dr. Shibiru Melesse (Policy Studies Institute) and Artistic Pathways for Youth Employment by Prof Amos Njuguna (DVC, Academics,Transformative Teaching Learning and Research at USIU-Africa and NIERA Network Chair)
The summit provided numerous networking opportunities that allowed for knowledge exchange and exploration of future partnerships across institutions and countries. The success of the summit was evident in the high level of engagement and quality of discussions and attendees left the summit with renewed inspiration and a commitment to apply the evidence and insights gained at their respective institutions.
