News
The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) are, this week October 21–23, 2024, convening in Blantyre, Malawi, to develop a training curriculum on the science-policy interaction for the training of Calestous Juma Fellows, a group of innovators and researchers working across various development sectors in Africa. The Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship is a programme of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for scientists permanently located at African research institutions. The fellowship seeks to nurture them into leaders who not only possess the expertise to drive transformative scientific research but also have the experience, networks, and skills to anchor research and development (R&D) on health and other development issues in their communities, design or co-design projects with local and global partners, and mobilise key institutions in their countries.
AUDA-NEPAD leads and coordinates the continent’s science, technology, and innovation (STI) initiatives, whereas AFIDEP works hand-in-hand with African governments to support sustained use of evidence in policy decisions and implementation. Over the years, AFIDEP has developed and implemented a capacity development programme on evidence-informed policymaking for government ministries and parliaments. This partnership, therefore, will benefit greatly from this rich programme of work AFIDEP has implemented over the years.
The science-policy interaction training programme being developed by AUDA-NEPAD and AFIDEP will not only benefit the CJ Fellows but also benefit other scientists working across the continent. This will strengthen the uptake and impact of scientific research and innovations on the continent, and greatly contribute to ensuring that scientific research and innovations actually improve the lives of people in Africa.
This initiative is part of a larger partnership that AFIDEP and AUDA-NEPAD have established and are jointly implementing various activities geared towards putting research, innovation, and data at the centre of Africa’s development efforts.