Evidence Leaders Africa (ELA) Conference for AAS Scholars and Researchers postponed

Monday, April 20, 2020

Thank you for responding to our call for abstracts for the Evidence Leaders Africa (ELA) Conference 2020, which was set to take place from 27th - 28th July 2020 in Nairobi. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has been postponed to the last quarter of 2020. We will communicate on the exact dates and provide “additional guidance” around the next steps as we review the situation. This conference aimed to bring together researchers to share experiences and lessons on promoting and facilitating the use of evidence in policy formulation and implementation by African governments and Stakeholders.

The current ELA initiative is implemented in East and West Africa and funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.  The project seeks to inspire and empower The AAS Fellows and Affiliates to proactively engage governments to use science and innovation, as well as champion Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (EIDM) in Eastern and Western Africa.

The ELA implementing partners, the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) have decided to reschedule rather than convert the event to a virtual conference. A virtual conference will become an option if the situation does not improve by the third quarter of 2020. The networking and peer-learning benefits of the in-person conference make this the preferred option. However, the reality of possible prolonged social distancing measures and restrictions on travel, during the coronavirus pandemic may necessitate a virtual conference.Read more ...