Evidence informed policy making: An interview with Dr. Joris Jerald Niilante Amissah, Ghana

An interview with Dr. Joris Jerald Niilante Amissah, Lecturer, Family and Consumer 
Sciences Department, University of Ghana (UG) www.ug.edu.gh . Jerald was one of 
the External speakers/ facilitators at the Evidence-informed policy making training 
for Parliament of Ghana staff.
The University of Ghana, the premier university and the largest university in Ghana 
was founded as the University College of the Gold Coast by Ordinance on August 11, 1948 
for the purpose of providing and promoting university education, learning and research.
As a University poised to distinguish itself in the area of research to make an impact at the 
national and international level, the University has launched a new Strategic Plan.
Dr. Aissah talks about how knowledge of research design can benefit parliamentary staff and 
also some factors to be considered in assessing research design of a piece of information.
The VakaYiko Consortium wwws.inasp.info/en/work/vakayiko/, a three year project working in 
Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe to build the capacity of policy makers to access, 
evaluate and use evidence in policy-making. This interview was filmed during Evidence informed 
policy making training course for Parliament of Ghana staff held in Afienya, near Accra, Ghana 
from 11th to 20th January 2016. Video and editing by Joseph -- joetigo@gmail.com

Evidence informed policy making - An interview with Dr. Isaac Frempong Mensa-Bonsu, Ghana

An interview with Dr. Isaac Frempong Mensa-Bonsu, Director for Plan Coordination, 
National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) https://www.ndpc.gov.gh/. 
 Dr. Mensa-Bonsu was one of the External speakers/ facilitators at the Evidence-informed 
policy making training for Parliament of Ghana staff.
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) was established under 
Articles 86 and 87 of the 1992 Constitution as part of the Executive. The National 
Development Planning Commission Act, 1994, (Act 479) and the National Development 
Planning (System) Act, 1994, (Act 480), provide the core legal framework for the establishment 
of the Commission and the performance of its functions. (Other laws of relevance to the 
Commission’s work are: the Local Government Act (Act 462) 1993; Local Government 
Service Act (Act 656) 2003; Petroleum Revenue Management Act (Act 815) 2011; Civil 
Service Act (PNDC Law 327) 1993; and Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund Act, (Act 877), 2014).
Dr. Mensa-Bonsu talks about the nature of policy making process in Ghana, the use of evidence in 
Ghana's policy making process and the opportunities that exist for the use of research evidence in 
the national policy making process in Ghana.
The VakaYiko Consortium wwws.inasp.info/en/work/vakayiko/, a three year project working in Ghana, 
South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe to build the capacity of policy makers to access, evaluate and use 
evidence in policy-making. This interview was filmed during Evidence informed policy making training 
course for Parliament of Ghana staff held in Afienya, near Accra, Ghana from 11th to 20th January 2016. 
Video and editing by Joseph -- joetigo@gmail.com

Knowledge café on evidence-informed policy-making in Zimbabwe

There are examples of successful policies in Zimbabwe, informed by evidence. But, since independence, policymaking has largely been reactionary and ideologically driven. This has resulted in many policy inconsistencies and failures. The need to build institutional capacity to make informed policy decisions in Zimbabwe is especially urgent now, as Zimbabwe faces major economic challenges.

ZeipNET, in partnership with US Embassy Public Affairs Section Food for Thought series, hosted a knowledge cafe to provide a forum to discuss success stories, challenges and opportunities for evidence informed policy-making in Zimbabwe. Of particular note, the forum sought to obtain insight into what can be done to promote the routine use of evidence in policy-making processes in Zimbabwe.

The event took place 20 October 2015, in Harare.
Moderators: Ronald Munatsi and Gilchrist Ndongwe, ZeipNET
Speakers: Onesimo Maguwu, a public health expert from USAID; Charles Dhewa, a Knowledge Management Specialist from a local agro-based think-tank Knowledge Transfer Africa; and Grey Chivanda, a former policy maker from the ministry of higher and tertiary education, science and technology development.

Knowledge Café brings discusses policy formation in Zimbabwe

On 20 October 2015, the Zimbabwe Evidence Informed Policy Network (ZeipNET) is partnering with the United States (US) Embassy Public Affairs Section to host a knowledge café on "Evidence Informed Policymaking in Zimbabwe: Challenges, Successes and Opportunities".

The event will combine ZeipNET’s Knowledge Café series and the US Embassy’s Food for Thought series. Both platforms share a common goal of creating an enabling environment for engaging citizens, media, civil society and government departments on key national topical issues.

The objective of this latest knowledge café (KC) is to demystify and reflect on the concept of EIPM and to highlight challenges and opportunities for the use of evidence in Zimbabwe’s policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and review. Of particular note, the KC seeks to obtain insight into what we can do to promote the routine use of evidence in policy making.
Click to read more

Source:  INASP

Evidence-informed policy making in Zimbabwe: Challenges, Successes and Opportunities

Guest post by Gilchriste Ndongwe and Ronald Munatsi from ZeipNET, Zimbabwe
Evidence-informed policy making (EIPM) is critical to ensuring good public policies. In Zimbabwe, EIPM is still in its infancy, but is starting to make progress. Now is a good time to start asking: what is Zimbabwe doing well in this area? What are the challenges to using evidence in policymaking? And what are the opportunities to see evidence become a routine part of Zimbabwe’s policymaking processes?

On 20 October 2015, the Zimbabwe Evidence Informed Policy Network (ZeipNET) is partnering with the United States (US) Embassy Public Affairs Section to host a knowledge café on “Evidence Informed Policymaking in Zimbabwe: Challenges, Successes and Opportunities”. The event will combine ZeipNET’s Knowledge Café series and the US Embassy’s Food for Thought series. Both platforms share a common goal of creating an enabling environment for engaging citizens, media, civil society and government departments on key national topical issues. Click to read more



Source: INASP Blog

EIPM training Intervention: Reviewing Parliament’s Information Support System as preparatory work

Parliament of Ghana

Background
Having trialed VakaYiko’s Evidence-Informed Policy Making (EIPM) course for Civil Servants at the Civil Service Training Centre (CSTC) earlier this year in Accra, information support staff at the Parliamentary Service of Ghana was next on the radar of project administrators. A review exercise was conducted to gain insight of the information support system prevalent at the Legislature. These are presented in this piece, but also includes an overview of VakaYiko training and the rational for EIPM training in Parliament.

VakaYiko Training in EIPM
The VakaYiko EIPM Course is aimed at mid-level civil servants involved in accessing, synthesizing and communicating evidence to policymakers in resource-constrained settings. This includes researchers, policy analysts, library and ICT staff, and others.

Click here to read more

Video interview explains how DFID is using evidence

Guest post by Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman, INASP

Ed Barney, Research Uptake Manager, DFID, UK

GINKS, one of the partners in the INASP-led VakaYiko Consortium, recently published some ‘voices’ in the form of videos recorded during the recent VakaYiko Consortium meeting in Accra, Ghana.

In the first video, Ed Barney, Research Uptake Manager at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), talks about evidence-informed policy making (EIPM) within DFID. “Ours is an organization with more than 3,000 staff based in 28 countries and it is quite a challenge to embed a culture of EIPM,” he says.

To help achieve this goal, DFID is building up its supply of research information; as Ed observes, if you can’t access it then you can’t use it. DFID is building information systems to provide easy access to research, to improve its own portfolio and communications to the rest of the organization. And to also change the products they used to provide as evidence to its decision makers.  Click here to read more

.....................................................................................................................................
Qurratulain Zaman is Communications Officer at INASP, an international development charity working with a global network of partners to improve access, production and use of research information and knowledge, so that countries are equipped to solve their development challenges.