Evidence-informed policy-making in Africa: the role of institutions in bridging the gap between research and policy

A quantitative survey of 43 researchers, policymakers and civil-society organization participants across East, West, Central and Southern Africa found that institutions differ in their understanding of evidence-informed policy-making, while limited resources, skills gaps and weak capacity to translate knowledge continue to constrain the use of research in policy. These findings are summarized in the abstract of a 2026 article in SN Social Sciences; the full article was not available for assessment.

The study used a purposive design and a five-step Likert scale. Its 43 participants included 31 researchers, three policymakers and nine civil-society organizations. According to the abstract, organizations in different institutional settings acknowledged knowledge translation as a determinant of how extensively evidence is used. The authors also reported that producing relevant research does not by itself ensure that findings are adopted in policy: non-academic institutions faced a gap in their capacity to synthesize research, while political agendas continued to influence adoption.

The authors describe research and academic institutions as shaping the future of evidence-informed policy-making by influencing both the generation of evidence and its translation into an actionable form. The abstract identifies two further requirements: government institutions should incorporate evidence into policies and establish dedicated evidence units that act as knowledge brokers, while coordinated capacity-building and adequate investment in institutional resources are needed to support systematic evidence use in African policymaking.

The available evidence is limited to the published abstract, so the survey questions, participant-selection procedures, statistical analyses, uncertainty estimates and results by country or institutional type cannot be evaluated. The purposive sample and the inclusion of only three policymakers also constrain how broadly the findings may be generalized. Within the abstract’s scope, the study identifies differences in institutional understanding, knowledge-translation constraints, limited resources and skills gaps as notable features of the gap between research and policy in Africa.

Subject of Research: Institutional barriers to translating research into evidence-informed policy-making in Africa

Article Title: Evidence-informed policy-making in Africa: the role of institutions in bridging the gap between research and policy

Article References: Ochieng, L., Kowenje, E., Onyango, F., Neondo, H., & Tonui, C. (2026). Evidence-informed policy-making in Africa: the role of institutions in bridging the gap between research and policy. SN Social Sciences, 6(9), Article 380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-026-01670-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43545-026-01670-8

Keywords: evidence-informed policy-making, Africa, research-policy gap, knowledge translation, institutional capacity, policy adoption, research synthesis, knowledge brokers, civil-society organizations, survey research, Evidence-informed, policy-making