Kisii — The 13th Africa Evidence Summit kicked off in Nairobi with an aim of advancing knowledge on elevating poverty in sub-Saharan Africa to foster unique collaborations between scholars, researchers and policymakers.
Speaking during the opening of the 2025 Evidence summit, chair, Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) Amos Njuguna said global development funding is undergoing shifts and multiple concurrent crises such as the concluded covid-19 pandemic, climate change and geopolitical conflicts and economic downturn.
With this year’s theme ‘better data for decision-making’ Njuguna noted strong evidence to build institutions, resilient economies and inclusive societies that can withstand strong winds.
The summit will Provoke action, help in building a culture where evidence is demanded and applied not just produced, have conversations on investing enough in local researchers and institutions to carry this work forward
“I see a community that has decided to commit to a change where policy decisions are put in evidence rather than guess work,” said the NIERA chairperson.
Njuguna noted that NIERA is a community of researchers who have had the credible opportunity to go through a transformative fellowship at the University of California.
“Many researchers in the continent are collaborating with scholars in the global north to shape policies and influence change and make a difference in their countries,” he added.
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This summit will help researchers move beyond reports and conferences to real measurable impact and help transform communities.
Executive Director, Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), Carson Christiano in her remarks said to explore high quality research in Africa and how it can shape policy and drive meaningful change across the continent.
“The summit reflects CEGA’s value such as equipping researchers with vigorous methodologies through our fellowship programmes, generating new evidence and building new powerful research partnerships.
This is a growing movement committed to advancing evidence in policy making in Africa.
She noted, “this year’s summit is unique with the exciting economic evidence conference. At the moment, the global landscape is shifting with the closure of USAID. Our work needs urgency more than never.”
With limited resources, funders and policy makers are turning into credible evidence to help them work smart and make more impactful investments.