ARIJ Network’s Post

For fact-checking to be effective - countering the harms misinformation causes and protecting free speech - we need to think about how we select the right claims to check. How to know what to choose? I'm excited for this discussion from 1500-1630 UK time on October 27 with Dr. Arwa Kooli explaining a study of fact-checking in the Arab world that we ran earlier this year with colleagues Fatima Bani Ahmad, Menna Elhosary, MA, Mohamed Tolba and Rana Salahat. Our study used a model for identifying the risk of harm caused by specific false claims which I explain in this free online book from : https://lnkd.in/eYN_mh5e Register here to join the discussion - with translations in Arabic and English: https://lnkd.in/e8wXA62h

Just published 👉 Constructing Ties: How Security Narratives Led to the Defunding of UAWC in Occupied Palestinian Territories. This thesis examines how security narratives shaped the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2022 decision to end its funding for the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a Palestinian NGO supporting farmers in Area C of the West Bank. The research draws on more than 1,100 pages of internal documents obtained through the Dutch Transparency Act. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/egC7fnqF

📖 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗪𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲! What is Community-Led Development and how does it work in practice? To answer this, we invited the The Movement for Community-led Development to present their new book, Community-led Development in Practice: We Power Our Own Change. Co-editors Gunjan Veda and Elene Cloete, and four other chapter authors Apoorva Oza (Aga Khan Foundation), Pascal Djohossou (MCLD Benin), Nixon Ochatre (Amani Initiative, Uganda) and Ida KOSSOU (ITISA), shared insights into what Community-Led Development truly means and what it looks like in practice. The recap highlights key takeaways from the book. It explains why Community-Led Development offers solutions to the multitude of challenges the international cooperation sector is facing at present.  Did this spark your interest? Read the recap or watch the recording for more in-depth insights from the authors: https://lnkd.in/etHDFZHK 

This new resource from the African Evaluation Association - AfrEA, The Handbook on Made in Africa Evaluation, will be of interest to many in my network: "The Handbook on Made in Africa Evaluation is a pioneering work that redefines evaluation practices by centering African epistemologies, values, and methodologies. Developed by the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA), this volume challenges dominant Western frameworks and advocates for a transformative, culturally grounded approach to evaluation." #evaluation https://lnkd.in/eUJzFdAe

🎤 At last week’s #Evidence25 conference in Cotonou, Benin, our Deputy Director (Research), Dr Jessica Espey, delivered a powerful keynote on how Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are harnessing data and research to drive smarter policy across the continent. In her talk, Dr Espey shared insights from a forthcoming co‑authored paper with Sub‑Saharan African colleagues, showing both the strides made and the obstacles still in place, in embedding evidence into regional decision‑making. Key themes included: * Strengthening institutional links between data producers and policymakers * Encouraging stakeholder participation across sectors * Ensuring African institutions, voices, and data lead the narrative, not just external literature Throughout the conference, Dr Espey engaged with representatives from RECs, the African Union, ACED, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES), PACKS Africa, Results for Development, and more. The conversations centred on aligning universities with national statistics offices, making data more accessible and policy-relevant, and forging regional cooperation. #EvidenceInformedPolicy #DataForDevelopment #Africa #RECs #ResearchImpact #SciencePolicyLinkages University of Southampton Andy Tatem https://lnkd.in/efyTWemD

ACCI: Africa’s Competitive Intelligence in Action! From awareness to implementation, the African Centre for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI) drives strategy, training, and intelligence management across the continent. 💡 Conferences, trainings, research, alerts, and due diligence — every action strengthens the competitiveness and resilience of Africa’s public, private, and civil actors. 🌐 Learn more at https://lnkd.in/e8rSUkPS #ACCI #CAVIE #CompetitiveIntelligence #SectorMonitoring #Strategy #Africa #DueDiligence

"There are absolutely top-notch, bright professionals in Pakistan who can design and deliver solutions," says Shahnaz WazirAli, President, SZABIST She believes that development aid must act as a partner. While some programs have seen success, others falter when they overlook local realities. True progress comes when countries take the lead in recognizing their own contexts and designing their own solutions. - Published in association with the Imagining Futures Conference 2025, held at Habib University

Dr Jordan Kyongo, PhD, Head of the East Africa Research & Innovation Hub at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, underscored the importance of investing in strong research systems to drive sustainable impact at the launch of the Good Research Management Practice (GRMP) Standard. He reaffirmed FCDO’s commitment to supporting initiatives that strengthen governance, ethics, and accountability across Africa’s research landscape, ensuring science continues to inform policy and improve lives. We are proud to have had FCDO as a key partner on this seven-year journey alongside the Science for Africa Foundation and African Organisation for Standardisation - ARSO Access the GRMP Standard here: https://bit.ly/4n5vItb #ResearchManagement Evelyn Gitau Tom Kariuki Allen Mukhwana Vincent Nkundimana

In an exclusive interview on CGTN’s Talk Africa, our Executive Director, Ms. Jane Nalunga, shared critical insights on the implications of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expiration. She highlighted the associated risks, key dynamics, and the possibility of an extension — while emphasizing the need for Africa to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a sustainable alternative and seize opportunities to strengthen trade with partners like China. 🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eihHSWsV

South Africa produces world-class research, yet little of it translates into products, jobs, and social impact. How can we unlock the full potential of research to drive socioeconomic transformation? Dr Moloko Mathipa-Mdakane, a Policy Fellow with NRF RIISA's International Grants and Partnerships Department and Information Scientist at the CSIR, addresses this question in the latest issue of the South African Journal of Science. The article proposes a practical framework to bridge the gap between research and impact, drawing lessons from global best practices while tailoring solutions to South Africa’s local realities. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dskzeGjz