The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Building Capacity to Use Research Evidence (BCURE) and the Africa Evidence Network (AEN), will host the first Africa Evidence Network conference on the continent at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria from 20 – 22 September 2016.
The conference will focus on three themes: engage, understand and impact. These also feature in the discussion around a new landmark report, “Using evidence to reflect on South Africa’s 20 years of democracy”, which was published in March 2016.
Leading up to the conference, one of the lead organisers, Prof Ruth Stewart, an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies and Laurenz Langer, a Research Synthesis Specialist, both at the University of Johannesburg, co-wrote an article on why direct engagement between researchers and policymakers is crucial.
2016 Africa Evidence Network conference will bring together about 350 participants from across Africa who have an interest in evidence and its production and use in decision-making. This includes students, academics and researchers, practitioners and policy-makers from universities, NGOs, government and the private sector.
The Evidence 2016 conference theme ‘Engage, Understand, Impact’ resonates with current priorities and concerns in South Africa and the African Content and is an apt topic for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is a need to encourage and promote evidence-informed decision- making (EIDM) in Africa, thereby contributing to the development of effective public policies, efficient implementation of services, as well as joint learning on interventions that tackle poverty and inequality in African countries. Secondly, there is a need to communicate these advances, share lessons learned and explore opportunities for the application of EIDM in Africa. And last but not least, to build a community of relevant institutions, organizations and professionals through the AEN to act as a regional resource hub.
The Africa Evidence Network (AEN) seeks to link up people and activities across various fields, initiatives and organisations working to produce and use evidence. The AEN is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) via the Centre for Anthropological Research (CfAR) within the University of Johannesburg.
Visit the website: www.africaevidencenetwork.org ; Contact person: Ms Precious Motha (pnmotha@uj.ac.za)
Evidence 2016, will take place at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria from 20 – 22 September 2016.
31 May 2016– Abstract submissions closes
27 June 2016– Abstract submission to be notified
9 September 2016– Regular registration closes
For more information or to register and/or submit an abstract (due 31 May 2016) contact the conference secretariat at latoya@confsa.co.za or Tel: +27 (0)12 349 2301
