Optimising the role of data, evidence, and innovations in Africa’s efforts to create wealth, empower citizens, and foster responsive governance
T. Arthur Chibwana, Associate Director, Funder Development and Partnerships at IDinsight [fourth from left] at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Evidence for Development Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.
Nairobi, 6–8 May 2025 – Last week, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Science for Africa (SFA) Foundation, and African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) hosted the inaugural Evidence for Development Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, with senior government officials, researchers, private sector leaders, civil society organisations and youth innovators from across Africa, reaffirming their commitment to placing science, technology, and innovation at the heart of national and continental development.
IDinsight partnered with the organisers for the three-day conference, which attracted over 300 delegates from more than 25 African countries. Held under the theme “Optimising the Role of Data, Evidence, and Innovations in Africa’s Efforts to Create Wealth, Empower Citizens, and Foster Responsive Governance,” the gathering emphasised the critical role of science, technology, innovation, and evidence-informed policymaking in achieving development blueprints, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr Julius Migos Ogamba, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kenya, in a statement shared by Dr Roselida Owuor – Director of Research Development at Kenya’s Ministry of Education, emphasised the importance of aligning education systems with Africa’s scientific ambitions calling for the need for more investments towards the sector to leapfrog development in Africa: “Data, evidence and innovation are not mere buzz words. They are lights for sustainable development which allow us to identify challenges, they inform our decisions that enable us to assign effective policies and allocate resources effectively.” “Inadequate investments and poor data quality are challenges that we must confront head-on,” he added.
“By championing the use of robust data and proven approaches to decision-making, we’re elevating Africa’s global position as a knowledge and innovation powerhouse actively shaping the continent’s development agenda toward sustainability, economic growth, citizen empowerment, and accountable governance.”
Rachel Lusava, Associate Director at IDinsight, presented findings from our impact evaluation of World Bicycle Relief’s Mobilized Communities Program.
With unemployment being a top priority among the youth of Africa, Rachel emphasised the critical need to have evidence on what works to support livelihoods––sharing insights from Zambia, where we found that an innovation as seemingly simple as a bicycle had a positive impact on household income.
“Sometimes it's not the flashy innovations that we need to pay attention to - it's finding and measuring what makes a difference in the context of where people are.”
Findings from the first RCT study on bicycle impacts among adults in rural Zambia
Delegates at the conference further engaged in robust discussions on building stronger national and regional innovation systems and increasing investment in research and development. Dr Eliya Zulu, Executive Director of AFIDEP, stressed the need for using evidence to enhance efficiency and ensure every resource counts. “Every year, billions of dollars are lost through mismanagement, inefficiencies, and outright theft. Research shows that corruption costs the continent over $140 billion annually. That is more than enough to finance critical sectors such as education and healthcare. Evidence can and should help us trace these leakages, identify systemic weaknesses, and design better safeguards for public resources.”
Speaking about pathways to health system accountability, Dr Martin Atela, Director and Kenya Country Lead at IDinsight, shed light on the challenges facing Kenya’s health sector data flow infrastructure. From lack of integration between financial and non-financial data to missing interoperability between financial (IFMIS) & non-financial (KHMIS) systems, he stressed that better data integration was essential to enhance health outcomes, accountability, and efficient fund management. He argued for a shift in focus from outputs (e.g., new facilities) to impacts (e.g., lives saved) when allocating resources.
Addressing potential solutions, Martin spoke about providing tailored, co-created technical assistance and collaborating with national and county players. He shared how IDinsight’s Embedded Learning Partnerships approach offers a unique approach and valuable lessons for achieving this, including IDinsight’s collaboration with Kenya’s National Treasury in revising Kenya’s Programme-Based Budgets towards outcomes and impact.
A pathway to health system accountability
Throughout the conference, participants deliberated on key topics such as sustainable financing for science, technology, innovation and evidence, harnessing emerging technologies, building inclusive knowledge societies, and strengthening the governance of research and innovation. Discussions also focused on how to strengthen the use of evidence in policymaking to drive Africa’s transformation and achieve the ambitions of Agenda 2063, as well as the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034.
Dr Tom Kariuki, CEO of SFA Foundation, who gave the keynote address, urged stakeholders to harness evidence and technologies like AI in sectors like healthcare, education, wealth creation, climate change and governance to leapfrog Africa’s development agenda through reducing fragmentation, enhancing productivity and efficiency, and sustainable adaptation: “Transformative change doesn’t happen in silos; it demands collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and borders to unlock the full value of data, evidence, and innovation for the continent. I believe that all of us here, and the institutions we each represent, are united in the belief that Africa can and must lead in defining the next frontier of evidence-informed development. But this cannot be done in isolation. We need funders, governments, researchers, communities, and the private sector to join us—not as stakeholders, but as co-owners.”
The conference concluded with concrete recommendations to enhance Africa’s STI and evidence ecosystems and accelerate the continent’s journey towards a knowledge-based, innovation-driven future.
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The conference was co-convened through a strategic partnership between AUDA-NEPAD, AFIDEP, and SFA Foundation. The co-conveners were joined by partners and sponsors including: IDinsight, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, African Center for Equitable Development (ACED), The Mawazo Institute, Speak Up Africa, Strathmore University, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Afrobarometer, Africa Evidence Network (AEN), PATH, LEEPS Partnership, Coalition for Health Research and Development (CHReaD), African Health Research, Innovation and Development Alliance (AHRIDA), African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Busara Center for Behavioral Economics, Evidence Use in Environmental Policymaking in Nigeria (EUEPiN), University of Lagos, Population Council Kenya, and The Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES).
About AUDA NEPAD
The African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) was established to accelerate economic and social development across the African continent. https://www.nepad.org About AFIDEP The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) is an African-led, non-profit research and policy institute established in 2010 to bridge the gaps between research, policy, and practice in African development. https://afidep.org About Science for Africa Foundation The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA) Foundation is a pan-African, non-profit, public charitable organisation created to support, strengthen, and promote science and innovation in Africa. https://scienceforafrica.foundation
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