2026 Africa Evidence Summit

About the Africa Evidence Summit

On July 23-24, 2026, the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) and the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA), in partnership with the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), co-hosted the 14th annual Africa Evidence Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This year’s Summit theme is “Powering Policy with Innovative, Inclusive, Transparent Data.”

The Africa Evidence Summit seeks to elevate the voices of African scholars in research, disseminate new research findings to decision-makers, seed new collaborations, and generate insights to advance evidence-informed policy making. This year’s Summit spotlighted policy-relevant research across different sectors and disciplines including climate change, digital transformation, agriculture, education, financial inclusion, and other topics relevant to economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

You may watch the livestream on our YouTube channel here. 

AGENDA | AFRICA EVIDENCE SUMMIT 2026

Program

View selected presentations below. [CEGA fellows denoted by *]

Thursday, July 23

Keynote Session: Climate Change, Conflict, and the Risk of Economic Collapse in Africa | Dr. Edward Miguel, CEGA | Dr. Berber Kramer, IFPRI | Dr. Solomon Walelign, Policy Innovation Research Center (PIRC)* | Zerihun Getu, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance

Policy Studies Institute (PSI) Panel | Moderated by: Selamawit G. Kebede, PSI
Panelists: H.E. Bereket Fesehatsion, Ministry of Planning and Development | Dr. Tassew Woldehanna, Addis Ababa University | Dr. Belay Kassa, Ethiopian Academy of Science | Dr. Tewodros Makonnen Gebrewolde, International Growth Centre
Presentation from Dr. Alebel B Weldesilassie*, PSI

Mechanisms of Reading Comprehension: Curiosity, Executive Function, and Cross-Linguistic Transfer in Educational Media | Lara Katumbi, Senior Analyst, Busara

Targeting Foundational Skills at Scale: Skill Specificity and Transfer | Dr. Andreas de Barros, Assistant Professor, School of Education, UC Irvine

Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents in Schools: Using Multi-Stage Qualitative Research to Develop, Prototype, and Scale an In-School Youth Empowerment Program | Jenna Grzeslo, Head of Research & Learning, BRAC International

Unlocking Afrobarometer Data: Tools and Applications for Evidence-Based Decision Making | Kamal Yakubu, Capacity Building Manager, Afrobarometer | Daniel Iberi, Communications Coordinator for East Africa, Afrobarometer

The Impact of Digital IDs for Refugee Inclusion in Ethiopia | Antonia Delius, PhD Candidate in Economics, University of Oxford

Refugee-Host Integration through Social Safety Nets: Experimental Evidence from Ethiopia | Belay Yimer, DPhil Candidate in Economics, University of Oxford 

What Drives Entrepreneurial Success in Forced Displacement? Evidence on Venture Creation and Revenue Growth in Rwanda | Dennis Kyalo, Head of Research, Inkomoko

Urban Food and Nutrition Security Resilience through Urban Agriculture: A Circular Economy Approach | Dr. Laura Barasa, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Development Studies, University of Nairobi

Do Farmland Expansion Motives Improve Household Food Security? Evidence from Ethiopia | Robel Seifemichael Hailemariam, Researcher and Policy Engagement Specialist, Policy Studies Institute (PSI)

Reducing Drought Vulnerability in Pastoral Systems in Somaliland | Abdiaziz Ali, Head of Research and Evaluation, Pharo Foundation

Soft Skills Development for Enhanced Employability in TVET: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial in Ghana | Dr. Richard Boso, Lecturer, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

Does Class Size Matter for Learning? For Whom and How? Evidence from Public Primary Schools in Rwanda | Dr. Nneka Osadolor, Consultant Economist, Nigeria Gender Innovation Lab, World Bank

Tackling Psychological Barriers to Job Search and Employment in Kenya | Isaac Obara, Senior Research Officer, Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

Panel: Innovations in Agriculture | Moderated by: Dr. Claudia Casarotto, IPA; Panelists: Atisha Kumar, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations| Dr. Tadesse Kuma, PSI | Dr. Dean Karlan, IPA and Northwestern University | Dr. Edward Miguel,  CEGA | Dr. Justina Onumah, CSIR–Science and Technology Policy Research Institute  

Microfinance and Psychological Wellbeing: The Role of Financial Literacy | Olubunmi Samuel-Adeyemi, Founder, Rural Prosperity Africa

The Impact of a Nutrition-Sensitive Graduation Model Program on Child Nutrition | Dr. Michael Mulford, Senior Director, Global Poverty Research Lab, Northwestern University

Enhanced Nutritional Discharge Criteria in Taimaka Community Management of Acute Malnutrition Program, Gombe State Nigeria | Dr. Hadiza Usman, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Gombe State University, Nigeria

Friday, July 24

Keynote Address: Bridging Evidence and Policy to Advance Development Goals | Dr. Abebe Shimeles, Honorary Professor at University of Cape Town and Senior Economic Advisor, Former Director of Research at African Economic Research Consortium

Evidence Aggregation and Use: New Frontiers | Dr. Dean Karlan, Northwestern University and the Global Poverty Research Lab

Panel on Pathways to Policy Influence: Evidence Use by the Public Sector | Moderated by: Dr. Sean Luna McAdams, CEGA; Panelists: Adia Umulisa, Ministry of Education, Rwanda | Neerajha Krishna Kumar, Laterite | Togbe Agbagla, Togo Digital Agency| Juan Hernández-Agramonte, IPA | Dr. Sam Jones, UNU-WIDER | Dr. Sergio Puerto, CEGA

In the Field and at Home: Housework and Gender Productivity Gaps in Agriculture | Dr. Bezawit Bahru*, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Hohenheim

Impacts of Prioritizing Women on the Demand for Capital: Evidence from Two Experiments | Dr. Ketki Sheth, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Tennessee

Scaling Childcare to Promote Women’s Economic Empowerment and Child Development in Ethiopia | Dr. Dessalegn Anshiso Sedebo, Senior Researcher and Head, Social Development & Inclusiveness Center, Policy Studies Institute (PSI)

Inter-Generational Effects of Income Support on Health among Young Adults in Malawi | Dr. Juba Kafumba, PhD Candidate, University of North Carolina

The Rise of Civil Protest: Input Misallocation and Contraction in Ethiopia’s Manufacturing Sector | Dr. Habtamu Tesfaye Edjigu, Researcher, Policy Studies Institute (PSI)

Conflict Exposure and Human Capital Formation of Children in Four African Countries | Dr. Tekalign Gutu Sakketa, Senior Researcher, Transformation of Economic and Social Systems department, The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)

Evaluating AI for Social Good: A Four-Level Playbook for Practitioners | Dr. Kelly Zhang, Research Scientist, The Agency Fund; Edmund Korley, Software Engineer, The Agency Fund

Panel: AI for Global Development | Moderated by: Daniel Getachew Kabtyimer, Senior Program Officer, Data and Measurement, Learning and Evaluation, The Gates Foundation; Panelists: Dr. Collins Munyendo, Postdoctoral Scholar, Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) | Elizabeth Kathure, Senior Product Manager, Maisha Meds | Dr. Shikoh Gitau, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Qhala | Dr. Shambel Yilma, Technology Advisor, Ethiopia Artificial Intelligence Institute

Panel on Research to Real Change: Fast-Tracking Policy for Adolescent Health | Moderated by: Dr. Augustina (Tina) Mensa-Kwao, Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health | Dr. Nicola Jones, Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global | Zekarias Desalegn, Response Expert, Ministry of Women & Social Affairs, Ethiopia | Workneh Yadete, Qualitative Research Lead, Research Uptake and Impact Coordinator, Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) | Dr. Adesola Olumide, Professor and Consultant Community Physician, Institute of Child Health (ICH), University of Ibadan and University College Hospital, Nigeria

Peace Begins at Home: The Effects of Host Families on Intergroup Dynamics in Ethiopia | Dr. Solomon Zena Walelign, Executive Director, Policy Innovation Research Center (PIRC)

The Impacts of Conflict on Adolescent Wellbeing in Ethiopia | Emilien (Bernus) Akotenou, PhD Candidate, University of Oklahoma

From Data to Decision: Strengthening Evidence-Informed Education Reform in Rwanda and Tanzania | Rachel Ngaruiya, Evaluation Specialist, Educate!

Collaboration in Measuring Socio-emotional Learning in Africa | Joakim Omollo Okeyo, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning Manager, Teach for Kenya

CEGA + CARE: A New Alliance for Scaling High-Impact Programs | Moderated by: Charles Murito, Regional Director, Sub Saharan Africa, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google | Panelists: Dr. Edward Miguel, Professor of Economics & Faculty co-Director of CEGA | Emily Janoch, Director, Knowledge Management and Learning, CARE USA | Florence Santos, Executive Director, Evidence and Insight, CARE

Sponsors and Partners