The inaugural Evidence for Development Conference (Evi4Dev), held from 6–8 May 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together over 300 delegates from 25 countries to affirm Africa’s growing commitment to evidence-informed development. Unlike the previous conferences focusing on evidence-informed policymaking, what was refreshing about the conference was the predominantly African audience, including a significant number of policymakers. With more than 60 sessions spanning three evidence-packed days, the conference convened policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and innovators under the theme: “Optimising the Role of Data, Evidence, and Innovations in Africa’s Efforts to Create Wealth, Empower Citizens, and Foster Responsive Governance.” The Director of the Africa Evidence Network (AEN), Siziwe Ngcwabe and several other members attended this conference. In this blog, Siziwe, Dr. Ronald Munatsi and Dr. Edwin Byusa share highlights from their participation and personal reflections from the event.

Demonstration of AEN’s commitment to fostering collaboration, equity, and context in the African evidence movement

Siziwe had the honour of being one of the speakers delivering the opening remarks and setting the tone for what would become a deeply collaborative and energising space for knowledge sharing, reflection, and action. In her remarks, she welcomed delegates not just to a conference, but to the beginning of a movement—a collective mandate to place African priorities, voices, and experiences at the heart of generating and using evidence. Drawing on the spirit of the African proverb that has been one of the AEN’s guiding principle, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” she called on all present to embrace inclusive approaches that prioritise community engagement, co-creation, and recognise all forms of evidence, from scientific research to lived experiences and indigenous knowledge.

Coupled to exhibiting and showcasing the AEN, Siziwe was also a panellist in a session titled “Advancing Inter-Regional Evidence-Informed Policymaking (EIP) Practice in Africa.” Organised by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), the session explored how intergovernmental regional blocks can serve as powerful accelerators of Africa’s Agenda 2063 by fostering evidence use through policy harmonisation, innovation exchange, and cross-country collaboration. She shared how the AEN impacts development efforts across the continent through its initiatives, highlighting several signature contributions. She demonstrated the AEN’s commitment to fostering collaboration, equity, and context in the African evidence movement. As an official partner of the Evi4Dev Conference, AEN’s exhibition stand provided a real-time dialogue, storytelling, and relationship-building platform. The stand showcased AEN’s initiatives, including the Africa Evidence Leadership Award (AELA), the Africa Evidence Youth League (AEYL), and tools for mapping the evidence ecosystem. Attendees shared their experiences and connections, reaffirming the value of AEN’s growing community and role as a connector in Africa’s EIP/EIDM ecosystem.

From community voices to continental visions, the importance of citizen-led evidence

For Dr Edwin Byusa, Day 2 was more than a collection of sessions; it was a continent-wide call to rethink how we engage citizens, generate evidence, and deliver on the promises of Agenda 2063. It was also a day he had the honour to attend his Rwandan fellow, Rachel Nyiracumi, presenting in a thematic session, “Using Evidence to Inform Educational Policy for Development”, and immersed himself in conversations that resonated deeply with his work. The presentation resonated with participants who recognised the power of community-generated data through the implementation of Help a Child’s activities to shape more equitable and context-responsive policies. During the “Harnessing Evidence for an Inclusive Green and Digital Future of Work in Africa” session, he learnt that if evidence is to serve Africa’s future, it must also help prepare for transitions in work, climate, and digital economies. Some of the Day 2 key takeaways include: the citizen-led evidence is central to Africa’s policy ecosystem, not peripheral; the future of work must be green, digital and inclusive; evidence without engagement is empty, data must be explained, localised, and acted upon by those it affects; health, education, environment, and innovation are interlinked, we must stop treating sectors in silos; culture and connection power collaboration, informal spaces are where lasting partnerships begin. He ended day 2 with preparations to chair the session 45: Transforming Education systems for the realisation of Agenda 2063 Goals on day 3. He strongly feels that the AEN must be inspired to continue engaging, challenging, and building a continent where evidence is owned, lived, and loved by its people, demonstrating the transformative power of collaboration and community engagement.

Evidence, science, innovation, and technology are vital in shaping sustainable, inclusive, and equitable policies

Dr Ronald Munatsi presented on Using Rapid Evidence Synthesis Platforms to Institutionalise Evidence-Informed Decision-Making in Low-Resourced Health Systems in the session: Transforming health systems for realising Agenda 2063 Goals. This session highlighted that innovation in health systems in Africa is crucial for achieving the African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals and a prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable continent. However, challenges include financing, infrastructure, capacity building, and global recognition of African research. To realise these goals, the evidence-informed approach, technology, and innovation are crucial for transforming African health systems. Sustainably implemented, such a locally-driven mix of strategies can address key health challenges such as communicable diseases, malnutrition, maternal and child mortality, and access to quality healthcare. Innovations in diagnostics, treatment, and disease prevention can help reduce disease burdens, improve access to care, and enhance overall well-being. Strengthening health systems through enhancing contemporary approaches using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence can help withstand shocks like epidemics, natural disasters, and political instability. All this requires deliberate, largely domestic investment in human resources, infrastructure, and access to essential medicines and technologies. A healthy workforce is essential for economic growth and development, and innovation can create new industries and job opportunities in the healthcare sector. Promoting social justice and equity is also essential, as it ensures access to quality healthcare for all, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location. Overall, with an emphasis on collaborations, the conference highlighted the critical role of evidence, science, innovation, and technology in shaping sustainable, inclusive, and equitable policies.

Let’s translate the learnings, partnerships, and momentum built during this inaugural conference into tangible action

The participation of the AEN Director and other AEN members at the Evi4DEv conference amplified the network’s visibility and influence, allowing deeper engagement with existing allies while sparking connections with new ones. The enthusiasm and curiosity from participants regarding the work of the AEN served as a powerful reminder of why the work of the network matters and how it continues to shape and strengthen the use of evidence in decision-making across Africa.

This conference provided a critical space to engage with some of Africa’s most pressing development priorities, such as wealth creation, infrastructure, food security, education, and health. The conversations and insights shared throughout the conference reaffirmed the indispensable role of evidence, science, innovation, and technology in shaping policies that are not only effective but also sustainable, inclusive, and equitable. As we look forward to the next Evi4Dev conference in 2027, the learnings, partnerships, and momentum built during this inaugural conference must now be translated into tangible action. “Only together can evidence-informed decision-making become a reality” and move steadily toward The Africa We Want.

About the authors: 

Siziwe Ngcwabe is the Director and Co-chair of the Africa Evidence Network. She is a South African, a passionate social worker, philanthropist, certified life and neuroscience coach, and a continental network-building leader in evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). For the past eight years, she has played a key role in advancing the  Africa Evidence Network (AEN) mission, championing the use of evidence to drive meaningful change across Africa. Through her work, she has supported the growth of a vibrant, collaborative evidence ecosystem by promoting evidence production, use, and mediation to improve policy and practice on the continent. Her leadership within AEN has focused on strengthening connections, facilitating partnerships, and amplifying African voices in global EIDM conversations. I have consistently advocated for inclusive, innovative, and contextually relevant approaches that ensure no one is left behind, particularly underserved, underrepresented, and marginalised communities.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work with honours from the Walter Sisulu University (UNITRA), a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) from MANCOSA – Undergraduate & Postgraduate Qualifications, Online, a master’s degree in public management, and a Master of Business Administration from Regenesys Business School.

Dr Edwin Byusa is a seasoned African development leader with over 20 years of experience in evidence-informed decision-making, policy reform, and capacity development. His work spans sectors including education, health, environment, child protection, and digital transformation, strongly emphasising inclusive, data-driven approaches. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals, with research that informs policy and practice across Africa. As a SCOPUS-indexed journal reviewer, he champions African scholarship in global discourse. Dr. Byusa has led child-centred development programs and strengthened PMEAL (Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) systems across East, West, Central, and North Africa. He supports digital transformation, inclusive education, and data ecosystem mapping. Holding a PhD in Science Education and pursuing an Executive MBA, he was named Runner-up for the 2024 Africa Evidence Leadership Award. His leadership fosters collaboration and innovation within the evidence-use ecosystem, advancing African perspectives in global development.

Dr. Ronald Munatsi is the Director and Co-Founder of the Zimbabwe Evidence Informed Policy Network (ZeipNET), a civil society organisation that interfaces evidence and policy in Zimbabwe. Dr Munatsi has over fifteen years of experience in evidence-informed decision making and knowledge management. He has effectively led several initiatives, including Building Capacity to Use research Evidence (BCURE), supported by UKAID, Strengthening Research and Knowledge Systems, supported by the International Network for Advancing Science and  Embedding Rapid Reviews in Health Systems Decision Making in Zimbabwe (ERAZ),  supported by the World Health Organisation. Presently, he is leading the Distilling and Availing Research Evidence for Parliament of Zimbabwe (DARE PoZ) project, in partnership with IDinsight. This project aims to enhance the Parliament’s institutional processes and research staff capacity to support the legislative process by providing high-quality evidence in an accountable and transparent manner. He is also a co-investigator in a British Academy supported comparative study on the use of evidence in environmental policy in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the UK.

Acknowledgements: The authors are solely responsible for the content of this article, including all errors or omissions; acknowledgements do not imply endorsement of the content. The authors are grateful to Charity Chisoro for her guidance in preparing and finalising this article, as well as her editorial support.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in published blog posts, as well as any errors or omissions, are the sole responsibility of the author/s and do not represent the views of the Africa Evidence Network, its secretariat, advisory or reference groups, or its funders; nor does it imply endorsement by the aforementioned parties.

Suggested citation: Ngcwabe, S., Munatsi, R. & Byusa, E. (2025) Afro-driven innovation through domestic resourcing and purposeful collaborations: Reflections on the inaugural Evidence for Development (Evi4Dev) Conference. Blog posting on 20 May 2025. Available at: https://africaevidencenetwork.org/afro-driven-innovation-through-domestic-resourcing-and-purposeful-collaborations-reflections-on-the-inaugural-evidence-for-development-evi4dev-conference/2025/05/20/