Enhancing evidence use and research capacity in sub-saharan African education

This briefing document reviews key themes and insights from two presentations focusing on strengthening research capacity and evidence use in Sub-Saharan African education. It explores challenges related to limited expertise in research methodologies, funding constraints, and the lack of knowledge translation efforts. Further, it emphasises the importance of investing in local expertise, ensuring sustainable funding, and enhancing knowledge uptake for impactful research in education in sub-Saharan Africa.

Presenters:

• Rigobert Pambe, Program Officer Daara Program, Better Purpose.
• Vianney Mbonigaba (Research Manager) and Jemima Okal (Associate Policy Manager), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

The learning crisis and the need for local solutions

Local organisations are key but face significant barriers to funding and influence.

Solutions must be driven by local actors and tailored to specific contexts.

Challenges in evidence generation and uptake

Several challenges hinder effective evidence use in the region. These challenges include:

• Limited Research Capacity: Lack of expertise in rigorous research methodologies like RCTs, translation of evidence to policy and the competing needs between teaching and research – particularly amongst local organisations. This is exacerbated by limited funding for research and competing demands on researchers’ time, such as teaching commitments.
• Funding Constraints: Short-term and inflexible funding models hinder the development of sustainable research ecosystems. Research dissemination and knowledge translation are often deprioritised in funding allocations, limiting the accessibility of research findings to policymakers. 
• Lack of Co-creation: Building strong partnerships between researchers and practitioners is crucial for bridging the gap between research and practice. However, fostering these collaborations can be challenging. A disconnect between research, policy, and practice limits the relevance and uptake of research findings. 
• Policy Environment: Unfavourable policy contexts that do not prioritise evidence-based decision-making can impede the use of research findings in policy development and implementation.
• Evidence hesitancy, or the reluctance to accept and use research findings, can pose a challenge to the uptake of evidence-based practices. Also, limited access to technology and infrastructure in certain regions hinders the conduct and dissemination of research.

Strategies for strengthening research capacity and evidence use

The presenters propose several strategies to address these challenges:

• Investing in Local Expertise: Building local research capacity is crucial. This includes providing tailored training and mentorship, supporting early career researchers, and promoting South-South collaboration. 
• Ensuring Sustainable Funding: Flexible, long-term funding is essential to support research infrastructure, institutional development, and knowledge translation activities. Funders should prioritise equitable partnerships where local organisations have a voice in shaping research agendas.
• Enhancing Knowledge Uptake: Effective communication and dissemination strategies are needed to bridge the gap between research and policy. This includes supporting local researchers to publish in reputable journals and disseminating findings through accessible channels.
• Building Networks and Communities of Practice: Fostering networks and communities of practice allows for knowledge sharing, peer learning, and collaborative research initiatives. This is particularly relevant in emerging research areas.

Call to action for funders

Recommendations for funders based on the sources you provided:

• Provide Flexible, Long-Term Funding: Funders should offer flexible, long-term funding that enables organisations to invest in strengthening their internal capabilities. This approach allows organisations to focus on building infrastructure, improving leadership development, and supporting ongoing research activities rather than being limited by short-term project-based funding.
• Fund Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening: In addition to research funding, funders should dedicate resources to capacity-building initiatives. This includes providing training, mentorship, technical assistance, and supporting the development of robust systems, governance structures, and leadership capabilities within local organisations. These investments are crucial for enabling local organisations to conduct impactful research.
• Prioritise Equitable Partnerships: Funders should adopt funding models based on equitable partnerships where local organisations have an active voice in shaping the design, implementation, and evaluation of research initiatives. This collaborative approach ensures that funding aligns with the specific needs and priorities of local organisations and promotes a sense of ownership and sustainability.
• Support Research Dissemination and Knowledge Translation: Funding should be allocated to support effective communication and dissemination efforts to bridge the gap between research and policy. This includes supporting the publication of research findings in accessible formats and facilitating knowledge-sharing activities.
• Invest in Research Infrastructure: Funders should provide support for essential research infrastructure, including facilities, technology, software, and data management systems.
• Advocate for Increased Government Funding: Funders can play a crucial role in advocating for increased government budgets allocated to research within educational institutions. This advocacy can contribute to building more sustainable and reliable funding mechanisms for research.
• Explore Co-Financing Mechanisms: Funders can explore co-financing opportunities with government agencies to showcase the effectiveness of flexible funding mechanisms that extend beyond typical financial year constraints. This can encourage a shift towards more sustainable funding approaches.
• Support Pipeline Development of Local Researchers: Initiatives aimed at fostering the growth and development of local researchers should be prioritised. This includes supporting training, mentorship, and networking opportunities for early-career researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Promote Course Buyout Models: To address the challenge of balancing teaching and research responsibilities, funders could explore course buyout models with institutions. This would allow researchers to dedicate more time to research activities, leading to increased research output.
• Fund Research Co-Creation: To ensure that research is relevant and applicable to policy and practice, funding should be directed toward research co-creation initiatives. These initiatives bring together policymakers and researchers to collaborate on developing contextually relevant solutions.

Addressing the learning crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa requires a robust research ecosystem driven by local expertise and informed by rigorous evidence. By investing in local research capacity, ensuring sustainable funding, and promoting effective knowledge translation, funders and development partners can contribute to building a more equitable and effective education system in the region.

Sources

• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPAA): Enhancing research capacity and evidence use
• The Daara DevelopmentAcademy Experience: Enhancing evidence use, communication, and uptake in sub-saharan African education