Evidence-policy-action regional hub for knowledge translation and evidence-informed policymaking in West Africa

African governments seek to use evidence to inform the development and assessment of their programs and policies. Efforts to build institutional mechanisms and tools for translating, synthesizing and mobilizing knowledge have resulted in the development of more impactful, equitable and inclusive decision-making. 

This was the experience emerging from the first phase of the Learning together to advance Evidence and Equity in Policymaking (LEEPS) partnership. Funded by IDRC and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, in collaboration with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, LEEPS supported the development of two African regional hubs on evidence-informed policymaking.

These regional hubs strengthened their capacity to synthesize, translate and apply evidence in policy processes across Africa. Through these two regional hubs, LEEPS has made significant progress in building the capacity of individuals and institutions in knowledge translation and evidence synthesis, while improving access to timely, demand-driven and context-specific evidence to inform decision-making.  

In the second phase of LEEPS, the regional hubs seek to promote a culture of evidence use in the health sector in sub-Saharan Africa, building stronger relationships with local stakeholders, establishing trust and collaboration with key institutions, and investing in shared evidence-informed decision-making infrastructure and knowledge systems, primarily in the thematic areas of reproductive health and climate change and health. This project will support the West African hub to strengthen the evidence ecosystem and nurture the evidence use culture in francophone West African countries, including Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal, while also contributing to the implementation of joint activities with the other LEEPS hub.