PROGRAMME
Unlike academic conferences, EVIDENCE events have evolved according to the needs of the AEN members. EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE will be no different. Given the current situation with COVID-19, we acknowledge and realise that the world/Africa may be in lockdown again in September 2020: we are planning for all eventualities. This year’s gathering will have two stages of engagement:
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EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE (23 – 25 September 2020)
This three-day event is planned to be an interactive, dynamic, virtual working meeting with a focus on three key work streams. During the event, participants can expect to:
- Share their experiences and stories with each other, bringing their unique perspectives to advancing the art and science of evidence-use in Africa;
- Network and explore opportunities for collaboration with others;
- Share and enhance their own capacities;
- Collectively advance and finalise various engagements and processes conceived in working group-driven pre-events; and
- Share and learn from EIDM in Africa during COVID-19.
WORK STREAMS
EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE will be rooted in three work streams with COVID-19 being explored across all three work streams. Given the immeasurable influence of COVID-19 in the months leading up to the event and likely beyond, we would be remiss not to reflect on impact of COVID-19 on all aspects of evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM), the demands and circumstances that the pandemic is putting on all of us supporting EIDM. Participants of EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE will actively contribute to the development of concepts, manifestos, or visualisations – among other things – within these different work streams.
Engage with our concept note
Work stream one: Advancing the art and science of evidence-use in Africa
This work stream aims to advance the knowledge and understanding of how to support EIDM in Africa. It will focus on exploring what applied tools, strategies, and interventions have shown promise to support evidence-use on the continent. By the end of EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE, this work stream hopes to have facilitated various sessions to achieve the drafting 10 principles of EIDM in Africa, which will include:
- Exploring the science of using evidence in Africa highlighting six mechanisms of evidence-use and their contribution in supporting EIDM on the continent.
- Exploring the art of using evidence: highlighting evidence-use success stories and the tactic knowledge, politics, and context of EIDM in Africa.
Work stream two: Enhancing evidence capacities
Participants in this work stream at EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE have an incredible opportunity to imagine a new agenda for capacity development for African EIDM, taking further the models already used, by sharing and discovering different ways of looking at how to develop capacity. By the end of EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE, this work stream hopes to have facilitated various sessions to achieve multiple objectives, including:
- Advancing discussions on the decolonisation of capacity development in Africa.
- Collecting and reflecting on stories of successful alternatives of capacity development in Africa.
- Capturing principles for alternative ways of approaching EIDM capacity development in Africa.
Work stream three: Making connections and building collaborations
The third work stream at EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE, participants will be supported in brokering new connections and fostering collaborations with others engaged in or supporting EIDM in Africa. EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE will provide a platform for participants to work together. By the end of EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE, this work stream aims – among other things to have:
- Produced and published a GeoMap of EIDM individuals and organisations in Africa.
- Collected and reflected on stories of successful connection and collaborations in Africa.
- Created networking opportunities.
SESSION TYPES
The programme of EVIDENCE 2020 ONLINE will comprise four main types of sessions cutting across the three work streams.
Be inspired! | We are planning three inspiration sessions in the programme (one in the opening). The idea is that these presentations are inspirational and provocative to stimulate discussions and ideas about specific aspects of the AEN’s work streams. We encourage the speakers to build into their presentations breaks through audience engagement. The inspiration sessions will be live-streamed and pre-recording as backup.
Work it out! | There are three concurrent working sessions in our programme; these are mostly for the use by the working groups and will involve practical collaborative activities that seek to contribute to concrete outputs, such as:
- Success stories of the six mechanisms of evidence use;
- A collection of alternative capacity development efforts for EIDM in Africa (including the principles underlying such efforts); and
- Ideas to foster connections and build collaborations for EIDM in Africa, including the update of a GeoMap of EIDM individuals and organisations in Africa.
Let’s mingle! | We plan to host three dedicated networking sessions in the programme that are focused on exploring and enhancing collaborations between network members. These formal sessions are in addition to holding time and space for informal networking to happen virtually. The objective of these dedicated sessions is to create networking opportunities and enhance how the AEN fosters collaboration between its members.
Reflecting together! | There are three collective reflection sessions planned for the programme, at the end of each day. These sessions will allow for collective reflection on the processes and content of the day, and engender interest, commitment, and a plan of action going beyond that’s day’s sessions.
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