My colleagues and I on the secretariat of the AEN are overwhelmed by the festivities from all across Africa during Africa Evidence Week. We are proud of (but not surprised by!) the wealth of evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) expertise in Africa, and we are humbled by the dedication to and passion for EIDM of our brothers and sisters within Africa. To all our participating organisations, and to everyone who joined the conversation, YOU are what made Africa Evidence Week so incredible.
DAY ONE
- Three blog posts about the involvement of the Parliament of Ghana in #AfricaEvidenceWeek, early childhood development centres in conflict-prone areas, and innovative African approaches to sharing evidence for use.
- Three short videos of a welcome message from senior AEN manager Siziwe Ngcwabe, an emerging EIDM leader, and an interview with Nigerian policy-makers.
- A learning exchange about whether evidence maps, repositories, and databases fit-for-policy-purposes.
- Resources shared by other organisations which include evidence synthesis webinars, WASH policy briefs, reports and stories of change, and an introduction to a network.
DAY TWO
- Four blog posts about the a rapid evidence synthesis service in Zimbabwe, using outcome mapping for research-use in Africa, a network to advance evidence-use in policy in Benin, and an interview with Charles Shey Wiysonge.
- Another short video of an emerging EIDM leader.
- Resources shared by other organisations which today included a free toolkit for how to develop your own clinical guidelines for your context.
DAY THREE
- Three blog posts including one on evidence and land reform in South Africa, a French post on experiences of promoting evidence-informed decision-making in the ECOWAS region, and a post about a fisheries project in Benin.
- Two short videos - one from another African emerging EIDM leader and one from me as the coordinator, sharing my personal highlights of the week so far.
- Resources shared by other organisations included our evidence landscape maps on the new AEN learning space and a Twitter conversation about maternal and child health evidence for policy-making in West Africa.
DAY FOUR
- A seminar - parts of which were livestreamed - showcasing evidence-informed decision-making from across Africa.
- A webinar in French discussing the production and use of evidence for policy-making in West Africa.
- Three blog posts: first about healthcare brokering for Agenda 2063, second about use the roll out of solar lamps into communities in Cameroon, and finally about experiences from of using data maps for decision-making.
- We also featured another emerging EIDM leader as well as a short animated video about the history of the AEN.
- There were multiple Twitter conversations happening yesterday (and one from day 3), as well as a showcase of the Building Capacity to Use Research Evidence programmes from Africa.
DAY FIVE
- Four blog posts on various topics: Responsive Evidence Synthesis Service in Johannesburg, an evidence portal that draws on existing evidence for decision-making, a reflection on EIDM in education in Cameroon, and an exploration of the importance of communicating evidence to those who cannot read or write.
- A training workshop with early career clinicians, and an event that discussed the role of EIDM in Africa in the context of the SDGs.
- A webinar where discussants shared their experiences of EIDM in Africa.
- A closing message of thanks from Siziwe Ngcwabe.
The celebration of Africa's EIDM will not end - we are taking these conversations and the spirit of #AfricaEvidenceWeek forward. So join the conversation #BeyondAfricaEvidenceWeek as we journey towards our next big event, #Evidence2020, together.
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 afore-mentioned parties.