Johannesburg, March 29, 2022 – The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) is convening leading African think tanks and research organisations to shape the future of African development systems.

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting held under the auspices of the AUDA-NEPAD Policy Bridge Tank on 28-29 March 2022, aims to explore knowledge-driven policy-making, scenario planning, and innovative solutions to address pertinent developing issues in the areas of food systems, health systems as well as economic recovery and jobs.

"The Policy Bridge Tank serves as a crucial source of continental development intelligence on regional development concerns, thereby accelerating the regional integration process towards The Africa We Want," said Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD.

AUDA-NEPAD has established the Policy Bridge Tank as one of its strategic initiatives aimed at engaging African Think Tanks to identify and address continental and regional challenges through evidence-based policy and knowledge services. Its main objective is to help translate research output and connect knowledge to decision-making to build a strong and interlinked African-driven science, research, and policy space.

“In Science, Technology, and Innovation there is very little policy research. We have to enhance collaboration between African scholars and strengthen research on policy implementation for improved learning," highlighted Dr Bitrina Diyamet, Founder and Executive Director, Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research Organization (STIPRO), as one of the key priority areas the Policy Bridge Tank will focus on.

Ms Elizabeth Sideropolous, Chief Executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), emphasised the need to avail African-generated knowledge to provide local and regional decision-makers with independent, evidence-based options for Africa’s future development.

Mr Jakkie Cilliers, Chair of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Board of Trustees and Head of the African Futures and Innovation Programme, stressed the importance of data and foresight modelling to support countries develop a long-term vision for their development process.

Members of the Technical Advisory Group also include Dr Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, Executive Vice-President, the African Center for Economic Transformation; Prof Njuguna Ndung’u, Executive Director of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC); and Prof Neissan Besharati, Director, Development Advisory Pan-African Investment and Research Services (PAIRS).

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Ms Mwanja Ng’anjo

AUDA-NEPAD Communications | +27 11 256 3600 | Mwanjan@nepad.org