Learning together to advance Evidence and Equity in Policymaking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa

Learning together to advance Evidence and Equity in Policymaking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (LEEPS) is a partnership that aims to advance equitable and inclusive evidence-informed policies and policymaking to help achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and improve lives in sub-Saharan Africa.   

Evidence-informed policymaking  

Despite the acknowledged importance of using evidence for decision-making, timely and responsive mechanisms to inform decisions are often lacking due to weak local evidence translation ecosystems. These ecosystems are key to improving evidence production, synthesis, use and uptake by decision-makers.  

Engaging policymakers effectively can result in influence and impact on policymaking, both for individual organizations and for national and regional ecosystems of policy-supporting organizations.  

Because there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to impactful policy engagement, research is needed on the practice of evidence-informed policymaking to build the knowledge base that contributes to improved mechanisms and practices to engage and inform the key actors formulating policies and planning programmes.  

Aims of the partnership

Driven by the values of co-creation, equity and commitment, LEEPS teams collaborate to generate better evidence, support better decisions and ultimately improve lives.   

LEEPS accelerates the use of evidence to advance equitable and gender-transformative policies and solutions aligned with the health-related  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These efforts focus on priority areas, including reproductive health and climate change and health in low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.  

LEEPS partners are developing a focused, living and growing evidence base for priority SDG questions, expanding the pool of knowledge brokers and practitioners in sub-Saharan Africa and supporting the next generation of leaders in evidence-informed policymaking. The partnership also provides a platform for learning and sharing lessons and resources within and across the community of practice in the region and globally.  

About the LEEPS partnership 

LEEPS entered its second phase in 2026. A CAD5.9-million partnership funded by IDRC, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, it is being implemented in collaboration with African partner organizations leading work at regional and country levels. This phase strengthens evidence ecosystems and promotes the use of evidence in policymaking, with a focus on reproductive health as well as climate change and health in sub-Saharan Africa. 

This partnership builds on earlier phases of the Partnership for Evidence and Equity in Responsive Social Systems (PEERSS), implemented from 2018 to 2025, including phase 1 (2018–2023) and phase 2 (2023–2025), known as LEEPS. These earlier phases laid the foundation for regional knowledge-translation approaches and evidence uptake in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Regional hubs and governance

LEEPS is implemented through three African-led hubs that advance equitable and inclusive evidence-informed policymaking: 

• Centre of Excellence for Evidence Policy Action (EPA), led by the African Centre for Equitable Development (ACED);  

• East African Regional Evidence Synthesis Initiative (EARESI), led by the Centre for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES); and the  

• Alliance for Evidence and Equity in Policymaking in Africa (AEEPA), led by the African Institute for Policy Development (AFIDEP).  

These hubs support 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa through capacity building and mentorship, and by developing tools and mechanisms to promote the systematic use of evidence across the policy cycle. 

The regional hubs act as centres of excellence that stimulate both knowledge translation as well as hands-on support to decision-makers for the systematic use of evidence across policy design, implementation, evaluation and scale-up. They support policymakers by aligning evidence with decision-making timelines, drawing on systematic reviews, rapid evidence syntheses and practical knowledge generated through policy dialogues and citizens’ panels. This knowledge-use infrastructure provides an Africa-based platform for learning and exchange, fostering sustained networks and communities of practice that enable South–South collaboration. 

All aspects of partnership leadership, including the coordination and communication, are led by the three African partner organizations — ACED, ACRES and AFIDEP —, reflecting LEEPS’ overarching goal of cultivating a self-sustaining, African-led evidence ecosystem. 

Explore research projects that we support

LEEPS 2 (2026-2028) - Current phase

Earlier phase (2023-2025) - PEERSS/LEEPS 1