Ousmane Badiane, Director for Africa, IFPRI, USA

1. Mobilizing Local Expertise
for Evidence Based Policy Planning and Implementation
Ousmane Badiane
Director for Africa, IFPRI

2. MOBILIZING LOCAL EXPERTISE
FOR EVIDENCE BASED POLICY PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION
OUTLINE
1. KEY MESSAGES
2. LINKING KNOWLEDGE, DATA AND POLICY
3. CREATING CONDITIONS FOR EVIDENCE BASED POLICY

3. KEY MESSAGE #1
Good Policies are not a solution for everything
Bad Policies are a problem for everything else
Policy Reversal would jeopardize ongoing growth recovery
across Africa
Risk of return to failed policies of 60s and 70s
• No institutional memory
• New generation of leaders
• Stronger fiscal positions
• More open, democratic systems
• Populist pressures and tendencies

4. WHAT DEFINES GOOD POLICIES
Are based on local / relevant
evidence
Have clear, measurable targets,
milestones
Undergo rigorous reviews:
technical, social, environmental
Are adequately tracked and
evaluated
Are open to inclusive
consultation and dialogue
KEY MESSAGE #2

5. GOVERNMENTS AND POLICY
MAKING ORGANIZATIONS
RESEARCH AND CAPACITY
DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
IFPRI/Badiane
DISCONNECTED KNOWLEDGE AND POLICY SPHERES
o Limited use of evidence
o Bias towards foreign expertise
o Ad hoc use of local expertise
o Weak planning
capacities
o Focused on training
o Bias for academic research
o No strategy to engage policy
o Weak collaboration

6. GOVERNMENTS AND POLICY
MAKING ORGANIZATIONS
RESEARCH AND CAPACITY
DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
IFPRI/Badiane
LINKING DATA, ANALYSIS, CAPACITY, & POLICY
CONNECTED KNOWLEDGE AND POLICY SPHERES
CARRIER POLICY
PROCESSES
ANCHOR
ORGANIZATIONS
OPERATIONAL
ACTORS

7. CARRIER POLICY
PROCESSES
ANCHOR
ORGANIZATIONS
OPERATIONAL
ACTORS
DEFINE CLEAR STRATEGY,
PROGRAMS, AND ACTION
AGENDA: CAADP/MALABO
COORDINATE GOV ACTION,
EMPOWER LOCAL ADM;
WORK WITH CSO:
AUC.NPCA/RECS
INVEST IN GOV EXPERTISE;
BE INCLUSIVE OF NON
STATE ACTORS CNC/CAP-F
ALIGN RESEARCH AND CD
AGENDA WITH POLICY
AGENDA: ReSAKSS
ESTABLISH STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIPS WITH
LEADING ORGANIZATIONS
ReSAKSS/AGRODEP
NETWORKLEAVE DESKS, AND
LABS, ENGAGE
SAKSS/AGRODEP
GOVERNMENTS AND POLICY
MAKING ORGANIZATIONS
IFPRI/Badiane
KEY ROLES AND ACTIONS
LINKING DATA, ANALYSIS, CAPACITY BUILDING, AND POLICY
RESEARCH AND CAPACITY
DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS

8.  You need data before you need them!
 What to do / How
o Data clusters: production, trade, hh status, prices, costs, expenditures,
etc
o Working Groups/Task Forces: bureau of statistics; NARs; data units in
finance; trade, sector ministries
o Common platform: harmonized data standards and exchange protocols
1. IMPROVED DATA SYSTEMS
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR
EVIDENCE BASED POLICY PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
KEY ELEMENTS

9.  A serious policy maker NEEDS constant access to high quality
technical team.
 What to do/How
o Network: build AND maintain a network of leading national centers of
expertise
o Engagement: create mechanism with a plan to engage and use local
expertise
 agreement on long term strategic research
 vehicle for ad hoc, short term technical input
2. READY-TO-USE TOP EXPERTISE
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR
EVIDENCE BASED POLICY PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
KEY ELEMENTS

10.  Oil the system!
 What/how
o Dream team: set up qualified planning team, first from existing staff, later
dedicated team
o Feed the beast: define demand for policy research and link to research
networks
o Connect!: ensure access to evidence and its use in policy formulation
3. EFFECTIVE COORDINATION / BROKERING FUNCTION
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR
EVIDENCE BASED POLICY PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
KEY ELEMENTS

11.  Cultivate knowledge.
 What/how
o Infrastructure: create up-to-date IT platform
o Knowledge base: build, maintain, and expand knowledge base: start with
collecting existing key data, reports, and policy documents
o Right to know: eliminate barriers to accessing knowledge
o Never Forget: build memory of actions, processes, outcomes – lessons learning
to avoid past mistakes
4. OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGEMENT MANAGEMENT
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR
EVIDENCE BASED POLICY PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
KEY ELEMENTS

12.  Collective wisdom is best
 What/how
o Dialogue platform: institute broad, informed debate about key strategic issues
and choices
o Review culture: evaluate and track commitments, performance and progress
5. INCLUSIVE POLICY DIALOGUE
CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR
EVIDENCE BASED POLICY PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION
KEY ELEMENTS

13. EXPERTISE AND TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND REVIEW
The Country SAKSS Platforms

14. EXPERTISE AND TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND REVIEW
ReSAKSS Platform

15. EXPERTISE AND TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND REVIEW
ReSAKSS Platform

16. GIS Based platform
o Geographic data disaggregation
o Tracking of 100s of indicators
o Typology, prioritization and evaluation
o Web based
o Easy accessibility
o Interactive
Millet Yields in 2012
EXPERTISE AND TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND REVIEW
The Country eAtlas

17. 10-12
TRAINING SESSIONS
ANNUALLY
~ 200 MEMBERS
~ 30 COUNTRIES
~ 30% FEMALE
27 GRANTS FOR
RESEARCH,
PUBLICATIONS,
CONFERENCES
IN 2015
The African Growth And Development Policy Modeling Consortium
20 MODELS
500 DATA SETS
20+ TECH REPORTS
EXPERTISE AND TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND REVIEW
AGRODEP

18. THANKS