Assessing the Potential Value and Pathways to Establish an Evidence Alliance in Africa

Abstract

Although Africa’s evidence-to-policy organizations are responding to demands within policy systems to provide evidence that is useful and utilizable, a relatively large number of them are vying for the same talent, the same policy-maker attention, and the same external funding. Likewise, the potential social impact of high-quality evidence generation and use remains high and may even be more acute as countries increasingly mobilize and use domestic resources to respond to citizens’ needs. The formation of a multi-organization alliance with greater potential for social impact would probably facilitate a more coordinated focus on strengthening a broad range of evidence-related capabilities in the region. This report provides highlights obtained from desk reviews and key informant interviews focusing on evidence alliances and networks in the international development sector. It similarly reveals key evidence actors in Africa, including their complementarities, gaps and challenges. The report further presents perspectives and recommendations by evidence-to-policy experts on the potential value and pathways to establishing an evidence-to-policy alliance in Africa.