AFIDEP-led Alliance for Evidence and Equity in Policy-Making in Africa trains Health staff on Evidence-Informed Policy-Making in Kenya

The African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)-led Alliance for Evidence and Equity in Policymaking in Africa (AEEPA) Project conducted a five-day training session with Kenya’s Ministry of Health in Machakos County beginning July 28, 2024.

The training was aimed at advancing the evidence, and equity use in reproductive health sector policy-making processes in Kenya through strengthening individual and institutional evidence synthesis and translation capacity and facilitating national, and sub-national knowledge exchange and learning.

According to Dr Violet Murunga, a Research and Policy Analyst at the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) who is also the technical lead of the AEEPA Project, the training preceded a 6-month mentorship program targeting Ministry of Health (MoH) staff working on reproductive health policies and programs including staff of the Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Division.

"Our Evidence-Informed Policy-Making (EIPM) training introduces the EIPM process using the systematic rapid review approach, including the formulation of the review research question, planning and performing searches, critical appraisal of studies, compiling a data extraction form and synthesizing the evidence. The training also emphasizes a gender and social inclusion lens/analysis throughout the EIDM process," she said.

Other staff in the MoH who support evidence to policy processes of RMNCAH and equity decisions such as from the Directorate of Policy, Digital Health (DPDH) and Innovations and Policy, Health Research and Research (PHRR) Division and the gender focal(s) were also targeted.

During the training, the officials were taken through key steps for systematically identifying, appraising, synthesizing and adapting relevant evidence (data and research) including ensuring that a gender equity and inclusion lens in the process.

The main output of the training and mentorship will be evidence briefs each trainee is to produce.