At the Africa Evidence Network Evidence 2025 conference in Cotonou, Benin last week, our Deputy Director (Research) Dr Jessica Espey delivered a keynote highlighting how Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are using data and research to shape smarter policy decisions across the continent.
Dr Espey, co-author of a forthcoming paper with four Sub-Saharan African colleagues on the use of evidence in regional decision-making, presented findings showing both progress and persistent challenges in embedding evidence-based approaches. Her talk underscored the importance of regional collaboration, stakeholder participation, and the need for stronger institutional links between data producers and policymakers.
“The evidence ecosystem in Africa is growing rapidly,” Dr Espey noted, “but it still leans too heavily on literature from the global North. We need to ensure African voices, institutions, and data are at the centre of our policymaking
Throughout the conference, Dr Espey engaged with representatives from RECs, the African Union, The African Center for Equitable Development (ACED), The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), the Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES), PACKS Africa, and Results for Development. The discussions focused on how to strengthen science-policy connections, enhance data infrastructure, and better align universities with national statistics offices to make data more accessible and policy-relevant.
A key takeaway was the formation of a coalition of African organisations exploring a continent-wide initiative to map science capacity and improve mechanisms for academic engagement in regional and continental policymaking.
Learn more
- Evidence 2025 Conference (Africa Evidence Network)
- The African Center for Equitable Development (ACED)
- The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)
- Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES)
- PACKS Africa
- Results for Development
