The Alliance for Evidence and Equity in Policy-making in Africa (AEEPA) is part of the Learning Together to Advance Evidence and Equity in Policy-making for Achieving SDGs (LEEPS) partnership coordinated by R4D and funded by IDRC, Hewlett Foundation and Bosch Foundation. AEEPA is led by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) in collaboration with the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN), the African Institute for Health Policies and Health Systems (AIHPHS) in Nigeria and the Makerere University School of Gender and Women Studies (MakSWGS) in Uganda.
AEEPA supports African countries in regaining their momentum toward achieving the SDGs and leaving no one behind by championing and enabling the consistent and systemic use of the best available data, research, and equity analyses in policy and programme decisions.
Evidence Informed Policy-making (EIP) is critical in Africa’s pursuit of sustainable development. Evidence and data help to inform appropriate actions in the present and future and facilitate collaboration among relevant stakeholders towards the achievement of sustainable development. Africa has made several efforts towards enhancing evidence-informed policymaking through commissioning various studies to respond to needs e.g., COVID-19 or establishing evidence committees and platforms to enhance consolidation of evidence to inform decisions. However, these efforts remain relatively reactive and are not properly institutionalized due to two main impediments: First, there is limited availability of reliable evidence on what works in different sectors and for different populations, and second, there is insufficient capacity to help convert high-quality information into practical interventions, as observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project responds to the second challenge by training ARIN Fellows across Africa on EIP institutionalization, as well as initiating a small grant scheme to build their capacity to systematically document and identify gaps, challenges, recommended actions and opportunities for advancing the EIP agenda within their institutions and/or the wider evidence ecosystem.
EIP sensitizations have been conducted to create awareness among ARIN Fellows on the LEEPS AEEPA project, its objectives, and the value of institutionalizing EIP and equity analyses in EIP. This was followed by a two-week training of the ARIN Fellows on evidence synthesis and translation and equity analyses as one of the critical steps in the EIP process.
Terms of Application
- Approximately 10-15 mini-grants of about USD 2000-3000 each will be issued on a competitive basis.
- A maximum of 5 mini-grants per African region, namely, East, South, West, and Central Africa, will be issued.
- Two thirds of the mini-grants will be awarded to EIP/equity trainees. With the training experience, these trainees will be well better placed to implement the mini-grants in line with the goals of the LEEPS project and to enhance impact.
- Mini-grants will generate evidence from different African countries beyond the ones earmarked for this study. The proposals will focus on case studies documenting existing1 EIP leadership, financing, structures, mechanisms, tools and technical capacity within the applicant’s institution or network they are part of or a policy institution they work with. The case studies will identify gaps, challenges, recommended actions and opportunities for strengthening the existing EIP structures, mechanisms and technical capacity. The case studies will explore gender equity and inclusion in all the aspects investigated.
Thematic Focus of the Mini-grants
Recognizing the critical need for evidence-informed policymaking across Africa, and the importance of sharing knowledge across contexts and languages, we welcome country case studies in English and/or French. These studies should explore the existing EIP leadership, financing, structures, mechanisms, tools and technical capacity within the applicant’s institution or network they are part of, or a policy institution they work with, to identify gaps, challenges, recommended actions and opportunities for strengthening the existing EIP structures, mechanisms and technical capacity. The case studies will explore gender equity and inclusion in all the aspects investigated.
Awardees will be expected to conduct self-initiated case studies focused on their home countries. Case studies in reproductive health and clean energy sectors will be prioritized. These case studies must promise to contribute significantly to the understanding of evidence-informed policymaking institutional capacity in Africa. The findings should not only benefit the fellow’s home country but also hold broader applicability for other African nations.