Record-breaking evidence summit convenes African scholars to advance poverty alleviation
NAIROBI, KENYA (12 June 2023) – In a signal of the demand for more rigorous and locally-led evidence on what works to combat poverty, the 11th Africa Evidence Summit, an annual gathering that bolsters African scholarship to improve the impact of evidence, has surpassed its previous registration record with over 800 researchers, policymakers, and practitioners set to attend the conference.
Organized by the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA), an association of African scholars that advances decision-focused impact evaluation of development programs, and the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), a research hub at UC Berkeley that generates innovative evidence decision-makers use to reduce global poverty, this year’s Summit will cover topics of paramount importance to African leaders, including health and resiliency, growth and inequality, and making evidence more inclusive and useful for policymakers.
“Practical, context specific and transparent causal research is instrumental to policymakers,” said Dr. Amos Njuguna, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Research and Extension at the United States International University-Africa and a founding member of NIERA. “As we continue to seek inclusive and sustainable development, I am delighted to see that demand for African researchers equipped with skills like impact evaluation methodology only continues to grow.”
“A central component of CEGA’s approach to improving lives has been to advance the scholarship of African researchers, and to collaborate on the creation of locally-led development solutions,” said Dr. Edward Miguel, Faculty Co-Director of CEGA and Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley. “My hope is that the Summit can serve as a platform for African scholars to increase the impact of their research.”
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.
Scheduled for June 19-20 at the Mövenpick Residences Nairobi, this year’s Summit brings together an impressive array of researchers and organizations working to alleviate poverty in Africa, including the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Afrobarometer, Busara, the Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Dr. Eliya M. Zulu, Executive Director and Founder of the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), will present the keynote address at this year’s Summit. “Evidence is the foundation of sound policy-making: it allows decision-makers to make informed decisions to improve people’s lives by setting the right development priorities, designing cost-effective interventions, and enhancing program implementation,” said Dr. Zulu. “Academics should play a proactive role in understanding the evidence needs of decision-makers, generating and translating the required evidence, and promoting its use in decision-making processes.”
To learn more about the Africa Evidence Summit and to request interviews with presenters or press passes, please reach out to the media contacts listed below. See the enclosed link for the branded event graphic. Follow along with the Africa Evidence Summit on Twitter with the #AES2023 hashtag.
About NIERA
The Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) is an association of African scholars with multi-sectoral expertise in various thematic areas that advances decision-focused impact evaluation of development programs through capacity building, evidence generation and policy outreach. Established in 2018 by alumni of the East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative, a multi-institution research network administered by CEGA, NIERA is hosted by the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi, Kenya and works with over 40 members across the continent.
About CEGA
The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research, training and innovation headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley. CEGA generates insights that leaders can use to improve policies, programs, and people’s lives. Its academic network includes more than 160 faculty, 65 scholars from low- and middle-income countries, and hundreds of graduate students — from diverse academic disciplines across the globe — that produce rigorous evidence about what works to expand education, health, and economic opportunities for people living in poverty.
