The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative is a multi-institution research network that promotes rigorous evaluation of social and economic development programs in East Africa. EASST hosts 6-8 competitively selected fellows per year, offers competitive research grants to pairs of African and CEGA researchers, and provides fellows with training and policy grants to institutionalize rigorous evidence generation within universities and governments. Since its inception, EASST has trained 57 fellows from 9 countries, which is implemented under our CEGA Fellowship Program.

Motivation

Established in 2011, The East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative is a multi-institution research network with a mission to promote scientific evaluation of social and economic development programs in East Africa. EASST seeks, in the short-term, to build regional leadership in the generation of rigorous, policy-relevant social science research. In the long-term, the network seeks to increase the use of high-quality evidence in the design of social policies, programs, and institutions throughout the East and West African region (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Uganda, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Somalia, and Cameroon).

Activities

The CEGA Fellowship Program

The cornerstone of EASST is housed under the CEGA Fellowship Program. The CEGA Fellowship Program seeks to equip early-career African social scientists with the skills needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of economic development programs by providing resident and non-resident fellowships. Read more about the Resident and Non-Resident Fellowship program on the initiative page.

Funding Research & Policy Engagement

EASST competitively awards research grants to stimulate joint research projects between East and West African Researchers and CEGA faculty, and contribute to the evidence base for development in the regions. EASST also awards Policy and Partnership Grants to fellows to facilitate their involvement with scale-up activities, policy convenings, or the creation of working relationships with relevant stakeholders to expand the reach of evidence generated by impact evaluations.

Annual Africa Evidence Summit Summit

Now in its 11th year, the Africa Evidence Summit is an annual in-person gathering that brings together East and West African scholars, U.S.-based faculty, and global policymakers and practitioners to discuss the latest research findings on economic development and poverty alleviation on the continent. The Summit also promotes new ways to integrate evidence into decision-making, elevates African scholarship, and seeds new South-South and North-South collaborations. The 2023 Africa Evidence Summit was held June 19-20th in Nairobi, Kenya. Affirming the demand for more rigorous and locally-led evidence on what works to combat poverty, this year’s Summit convened more than 500 researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across Africa and around the world.