2024 Africa Evidence Summit
The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) and the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) held the 12th annual Africa Evidence Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from July 10-11, 2024. This year, the Summit was hosted in partnership with our partner, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC). We were also thrilled to partner with the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), the Mawazo Institute, Twaweza, and the Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) to host this event.
The summit is an annual in-person gathering that brings together East and West African scholars (including CEGA fellows), U.S.-based faculty, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the latest research findings on economic development and poverty alleviation in East and West Africa. The summit also promotes discussion on new ways to integrate evidence into decision-making, elevate African scholars’ voices, and engage stakeholders in the process.
This year, we presented the findings of the Collaboration for Inclusive Development Research’s (CIDR) study on barriers and opportunities for African scholars in higher education, training/mentorship, publication and co-authorship, and policy impact.
Program
View the full agenda here, and selected presentations below. Former CEGA fellows marked with an asterisk*.
Wednesday, July 10
Preparing for an Aging Africa: Data-Driven Priorities for Economic Research and Policy | Edward Miguel, CEGA Founder and Faculty Co-Director and Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
The Effect of Empathy and Future Orientation on COVID-19 Vaccination: Evidence from an RCT in Tanzania | Constantine Manda*, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of California, Irvine
Intergenerational Effects of Secondary Education in Ghana | Pascaline Dupas, Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University, and Scientific co-Director, J-PAL Africa
Smart Classrooms and Education Outcomes: Evidence from Rwanda | Muthoni Nganga*, Assistant Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University; Aimable Nsabimana*, Research Fellow, United Nations University – World Institute for Development Economics Research
Artistic Pathways for Youth Employment in Kenya | Jennifer Nyakinya (presenting on behalf of Amos Njuguna*), Founding Program Manager, NIERA
Is The Bloom Easily Off the Rose When You Are Poor? Experimental Evidence on Incentives for Mobile Money Adoption in Ethiopia | Dagim Belay*, Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen
Overcoming Budget and Availability Constraints to Healthy Diets in Urban Tanzania | Liz Brown, Staff Scientist, CEGA; George Temba and Zakayo Zakaria*, Research Fellows, Economic and Social Research Foundation
A Second Chance of Financial Inclusion: RCT Evidence from Africa | Alfredo Burlando, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Oregon
Thursday, July 11
Evidence from the Collaboration for Inclusive Development Research (CIDR) Study | Maya Ranganath, Associate Director of Global Networks and Inclusion, CEGA; and Amy Shipow, Global Networks Program Manager, CEGA
Search Cost, Intermediation, and Trade: Experimental Evidence from Ugandan Agricultural Markets| Craig McIntosh, Professor of Economics and Co-director at the Policy Design and Evaluation Lab, University of California, San Diego
Efficiency of Digital Agricultural Services by Cowtribe, Ghana | Dr. Abdul-Basit Tampuli Abukari, Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural and Food Economics, University for Development Studies, Ghana
Access to Digital Credit for Smallholder Farmers: Experimental Evidence from Ghana | Monica Lambon-Quayefio*, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Ghana
Citizen Agency For Collective Action in Tanzania and Uganda | Baruani Mshale, Director of Learning and Strategy, Twaweza East Africa; Richard Temu, Senior Program Officer, Twaweza East Africa
Peer Effects, Warning Messages and Gambling Behavior: Evidence from a Lab-in-the Field Experiment | Laura Barasa*, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Development Studies, University of Nairobi
Discretion versus Data-Driven Decision Making: Evidence from a Tanzanian Factory | Yuen Ho, PhD Candidate in Development Economics, University of California, Berkeley
The Gender Digital Divide and Gender Gaps in Collective Action | Jakana Thomas, Associate Professor, University of California, San Diego
Subsidies to Nutrition: Investigating Effects among Cohort Children from the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme in Nigeria | Oluwabunmi Adejumo*, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University
Gender Responsive Budgeting: From Evidence to Policy Influencing | Margaret Wanjiku, Senior Gender Advisor, Oxfam in Africa
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The Summit also featured nearly 50 posters in two different categories:
- Researchers: Researchers were welcome to submit an abstract for a poster showcasing early-stage research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) or to disseminate policy-relevant research findings from completed studies. We prefer studies that use impact evaluation studies.
- Programs: We welcomed organizations to showcase their work in advancing evidence-informed policy in SSA. This is also an opportunity for organizations to highlight capacity-strengthening initiatives (and relevant learnings for the community) and to publicize upcoming opportunities for African scholars.
See a full list of poster presentations here.
