PEP launched three new programs in 2024:
Building sustainable and synergistic EIP ecosystems in East & West Africa
with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (2024-27)
PEP is implementing a three-year initiative (2024-2027) aimed at enabling in-country research centers and government institutions in East and West Africa to establish continued collaborative frameworks and achieve greater synergism for evidence-informed policymaking (EIP).
The initiative is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and designed to support the implementation of the Foundation’s “evidence-informed policymaking strategy 2024-2027.
The program’s ultimate goal is to remove the structural barriers that confine research and policymaking into siloed processes. On the one hand, research centers need to learn how to quickly respond to evidence needs from policymakers by drawing on existing evidence and conducting fast-response analyses, so as to provide real-time advisory support to address policy challenges as they emerge. At the same time, government institutions often lack internal or institutional capacities for the procurement, appraisal and translation of data and evidence as useful inputs for policymaking.
Building on PEP’s current approach to supporting policy-engaged research, this new programmatic strategy focuses on developing the capacities and mechanisms required for researchers and policymakers to not only work together, but also better understand each other’s needs and constraints, while improving their respective EIP-related practices. The program will be piloted in different countries in East and West Africa, through the support of nine (9) research centers, and their partner government institutions. While six (6) of these centers were selected through a competitive process, the remaining three (3) were pre-selected to focus on advising macro policies for women’s economic empowerment.
with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (2024-28)
PEP is implementing a four-year initiative (2024–2028) aimed at generating actionable, evidence-based recommendations to inform and guide decision-making around the adoption or scaling up of more effective, sustainable, and inclusive practices within local food systems involved in supplying Home-Grown School Feeding Programs (HGSFPs).
Using collaborative methods that include various stakeholders at different levels, the research will look at how cost-effective and sustainable different buying methods are, test new ideas that encourage inclusivity, and evaluate the benefits of better, Eco-friendly cooking techniques. PEP is leading this initiative in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and World Food Programme (WFP) Ethiopia.
with funding from Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) (2024-2025)
Information received from Peter: 10th Sept 2024: PEP is partnering with the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) to implement a six-month-long project titled “Connecting international financial architecture reforms with country needs—the case study of Kenya”.
