Looking back, we are proud of what we have achieved. Despite dire developments for global development aid, we are also optimistic about the future - we will continue to make a difference!

The EfD network publishes high-quality, policy-relevant research while engaging actively with policymakers and other stakeholders. It takes a long time until we may see an impact from such policy engagements. The stories we present in this report are typically the result of many years of collaboration. Many researchers gain the trust of policymakers over time and are asked to contribute expertise in policy forums. For example, in 2025, Pham Khanh Nam, EfD Vietnam’s center director, was invited to join the UN’s High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP. Wisdom Akpalu, EfD Ghana’s center director, was appointed chair of the African Union’s technical committee on agriculture, rural development, water, and environment.

The introduction of the Research and Policy Engagement projects aims to strengthen the policy relevance of EfD’s Sida-funded multi-country research projects. Ideally, the questions are the result of a co-creation process between policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders. EfD’s Global Hub has worked closely with the centers to strengthen the collaborative research programs. The aim is to increase collaboration across borders to fully benefit from the advantages of being an international network.

We present our collaborative programs and their prioritized research areas in this report. Many researchers in the network have played important roles in international policy discussions. Some examples are our hosting of side events at the Africa Climate Summit and having representatives in the UN Secretary’s High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP, and in the African Union’s technical committee on agriculture, rural development, water, and environment.

With scarce financial resources, it is more important than ever to evaluate and communicate the findings of different development interventions. In the report, you can read about some of our projects that look at agricultural innovations and renewable energy projects.

In 2025, we took our support on gender research in environmental and development economics further by onboarding a gender research expert who provides advice to the network.

The Inclusive Green Economy in Practice program (IGE), which develops capacity among civil servants in Eastern Africa, has taken an important step to ensure sustained impacts beyond the program’s duration by creating one regional and five national secretariats.

Enjoy!

Anders Ekbom, Interim Global Hub Director