Event Information
About the Africa Evidence Summit
On July 23-24, 2026, the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) and the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA), in partnership with the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), will co-host the 14th annual Africa Evidence Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This year’s Summit theme is “Powering Policy with Innovative, Inclusive, Transparent Data.”
The Africa Evidence Summit seeks to elevate the voices of African scholars in research, disseminate new research findings to decision-makers, seed new collaborations, and generate insights to advance evidence-informed policy making. The Summit will spotlight policy-relevant research across different sectors and disciplines including climate change, digital transformation, agriculture, education, financial inclusion, and other topics relevant to economic development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Submit an Expression of Interest to Attend the Summit (due March 1)
Please express your interest in attending this event by filling out the brief EOI form by March 1st. We will confirm your acceptance for the event by March 15th and follow up with specific details, including a separate link to register for the event. We will do our best to extend an official invitation to register for everyone who expresses interest, however, due to space we cannot guarantee a spot.
If you applied to be a speaker or poster presenter (see below), you do not need to complete this form — we have noted your interest in attending the Summit.
Apply to be a Research Presenter, Panelist, or Lead a Training (due Feb 23)
Please submit your application to be considered as a speaker by February 23, 2026. We welcome both African scholars and non-African scholars to apply, however, we will be reserving a large portion of the agenda for African scholars.
This year we will hold parallel sessions that include the following:
- Ready-to-Use Evidence (Completed Research)
- Early Stage Research (Open for Feedback)
- Technical Training/Workshop— to build to skills of African scholars, e.g. data science workshops, research transparency, health informatics, geo-spatial data analysis, systematic reviews, etc.)
- Panel Discussion—to shed light on an important cross-sectoral issues, e.g. refugee-led research, perspectives from policymakers, research ethics or transparency etc.
For the “Ready-to-Use Evidence” and “Early Stage Research” tracks, we welcome all topics related to development economics (e.g. health and psychology, agriculture, climate & environment, gender, conflict & displacement, institutions & governance, and work & education). We prefer studies that use rigorous impact evaluation methods (RCT or quasi-experimental) or tools from data science; but we will consider all studies that have the potential to inform policy. We recognize that “Ready-to-Use Evidence” still needs contextualization, buy-in, and adaptation before use and scale-up.
Please Note: You may apply to be both a speaker and a poster presenter; however, we can only guarantee funding for travel and accommodations for a small number of selected speakers.
Apply to be a Poster Presenter (due Feb 23)
For studies and programs that would benefit most from a visual format as well as interactive, individualized discussion, invite submissions for poster presentations. This format is well suited for very early-stage research ideas, pilot studies, methodological innovations, data tools, or policy questions that are still being refined.
Poster sessions emphasize one-on-one or small-group engagement with researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
We welcome posters in two categories:
- Research Posters: Showcase early-stage or completed research in sub-Saharan Africa, preferably using impact evaluation methodologies.
- Program Posters: Highlight organizational initiatives advancing evidence-informed policy or capacity-strengthening activities for African scholars.
The deadline to submit poster proposals is February 23, 2026. elected presenters will be notified by the end of March 2026. For any questions, please reach out to Namita Karnik (namita_karnik@berkeley.edu).
Please note: CEGA and NIERA cannot provide funding for travel or accommodation for poster presenters.
Sponsors and Partners
If you are interested in partnering with CEGA or sponsoring the Summit, please reach out to Amy Shipow. Thank you to AES sponsors for their generous support.