Africa Evidence Week 2024 got off to an exciting start! I had the pleasure of attending one of the very first sessions – a video interview with Violet Murunga, one of the recipients of the Africa Evidence Leadership Award 2024 and a research and policy analyst at the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP).

AFIDEP was created to bridge the gap between evidence, policy and action. While evidence is widely produced, a number of factors prevent its consistent use in public policy and programme decisions. AFIDEP seeks to transform lives through evidence-informed policy and practice decisions, but to do so, we need to encourage, support and create an enabling environment for the consistent use of the best available evidence in decision-making.

As Violet rightly stated, evidence plays a vital role in Africa’s development. Africa is somewhat of a paradoxical region: while it is rich in untapped resources on the one hand, it lacks in other equally important resources. This often makes it hard for leaders to effectively allocate resources to address the constraints to Africa’s progress. This is where evidence comes in – to help African leaders manage these resources to ensure their people’s needs are met. However, evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) continues to face hindrances in Africa.

Chief among these is corruption. Corruption, being a behavioural issue, is endemic in Africa. One entry point for changing this behaviour on the continent is to begin early in the education system; this will ensure that future leaders adopt a corrupt-free outlook on life and commit themselves to serve others, and their country. Furthermore, EIDM culture can be used to foster behavioural changes at the institutional level and within systems.

Tackling impediments head on

If want to change behaviours at scale, we need long-term sustainable investment to EIDM by both government and development partners. The lack of consistent funding is another major bottleneck in the implementation of EIDM on the African continent. Donor and government funding for supporting EIDM are usually for a limited period and/or inadequate making it difficult to create and sustain a culture of EIDM.

Violet encouraged those interested in careers in evidence translation to be persistent, creative, and adaptable. When entering into the evidence translation space, one will often interact with policy-makers and other prominent people in society. Sometimes, we are compelled to see things from their perspective and understand their limitations, concerns, ambitions, and visions, which may not always align with what the evidence about an issue is pointing to.

If you take one thing away from the interview with Violet, let it be this: EIDM is everyone’s business but for a practitioner in the field, having a passion for the work will help you persevere and navigate the difficult context for creating and sustaining a culture of EIDM.

Click here to watch the video and see more of the exciting programme https://www.africaevidenceweek.org