GRMP Standard Launch: Africa Leads Global Research Governance

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

“We don’t just fund research. We build the systems that make great research possible.” Prof Tom Kariuki, CEO at the Science for Africa Foundation emphasises. Today, we celebrate the launch of the Good Research Management Practice (GRMP) Standard ARS 1024:2025, developed by the SFA Foundation in partnership with African Organisation for Standardisation - ARSO. The GRMP Standard provides a framework to strengthen governance, ethics, infrastructure, and compliance across the research lifecycle, marking a milestone in Africa’s leadership in global research management. This seven-year journey brought together over 150 experts from 25 countries, united by a shared goal: to strengthen research systems and foster a vibrant research culture across the continent. Access the GRMP Standard here: https://bit.ly/4n5vItb #GRMPStandard | #ResearchManagement |#GlobalResearchGovernance Allen Mukhwana Vincent Nkundimana

Yolisa Nalule, Research Ecosystem Lead Africa, Wellcome Trust described the Good Research Management Practice (GRMP) Standard as “the invisible architecture of research” made visible. For years, due-diligence frameworks have been imported from the Global North, often ill-suited to African realities. This standard is catalytic,it allows funders to align assurance and accountability with local context, and it signals Africa’s growing capacity for self-defined excellence. Access the GRMP Standard from the African Organisation for Standardisation - ARSO website here: https://lnkd.in/dkDCNXz9

On 26th September 2025, the CEO of African Institute for Capacity Development (AICAD), Prof. James NJiru engaged in a fruitful discussion with Dr. Mark Morgan of TwoRivers. The meeting focused on potential areas of collaboration in capacity building within communities, particularly through training and skills transfer. The discussions highlighted opportunities in value addition, supply chain management, and other development-oriented areas that align with AICAD’s mandate of empowering communities to realize sustainable livelihoods. Both parties expressed a shared commitment to exploring partnerships that would strengthen local capacities, enhance productivity, and promote socio-economic growth.

Just back from the inspiring African Evidence Network's Evidence 2025 conference in Benin, hosted by ACED. Here are three key takeaways: 🏢 Inspirational African think-tanks like ACED, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES), and PACKS Africa are stepping up to bridge governmental gaps. They're spearheading evidentiary networks, managing consultations, and doing their own synthesis exercises to enhance science-policy exchange. Noteworthy efforts include (but are not limited to!) on-demand synthesis services led by ACRES, studies on evidence uptake led by ACED, facilitating of the NEAPOACOH network by AFIDEP, and policymaker training led by PACKS. 🌍 Research on evidence uptake and utilization across government levels, from local to national to regional, garners significant attention and interest across the board. Network members were eager to work together (with our Soton, ACED, UCT team) to further study regional evidentiary processes and support the AU and NEPAD strengthen the architecture for evidence informed policymaking within the Regional Economic Communities and within the AU itself (realizing STISA 2024). 📚 A wave of dedicated young government officials, parliamentarians, academics, and think-tankers in Africa is actively championing evidence-based decision-making. Individuals like Josephine Watera from the Ugandan Department of Research Services are leading the charge, reinforcing science insights within parliamentary processes with remarkable impact. Thanks to all for an amazing conference and for the brilliant tour at the end. I particularly enjoyed cuddling the snake god 🤣 🐍 #AfricanEvidence #SciencePolicy #EvidenceBasedDecisionMaking  https://lnkd.in/emEgukua

Prof. Rym Ayadi, President of the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association - EMEA, Professor at Bayes Business School, City St George’s, University of London, and Senior Advisor at CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), met with Nagla Bahr, Chair and Lead Representative of the Euro-Mediterranean Guarantee Network -EMGN in Cairo. Ms. Bahr also serves as Executive Board Member of ضمان - CGC-Egypt and African Continental Coordinator of the Global Network of Guarantee Institutions (GNGI). Together, they discussed the future and prospects of EMGN and its pivotal role in advancing MSME access to finance and fostering regional cooperation across the Mediterranean. The Euro-Mediterranean Guarantee Network -EMGN is a Union for the Mediterranean labeled initiative promoted by EMEA and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMED), with the support of GIZ. It brings together credit guarantee schemes across the region to expand MSME financing, share knowledge, and develop innovative instruments for sustainable economic development. #EMGN #EMEA #UfM #MSME #Finance #Mediterranean #InclusiveGrowth #RegionalCooperation #GuaranteeSchemes

Dr Evelyn Gitau, Chief Scientific Officer of the Science for Africa Foundation, sets the tone for the day with a powerful reminder of why strong research governance matters. In her opening remarks at the GRMP Standard launch event, she emphasises that credible science does not happen by chance, it is built on systems that value ethics, accountability, and transparency. The Good Research Management Practice Standard (GRMP) ARS 1024:2025 has been developed in partnership with African Organisation for Standardisation - ARSO, and provides a comprehensive framework for strengthening governance, ethics, infrastructure, and compliance across the research lifecycle. Today, as we celebrate the launch, we also celebrate Africa’s voice, defining our own future through the power of evidence to shape our shared destiny. Access the GRMP Standard here: https://bit.ly/4n5vItb   #GRMPStandard | #ResearchManagement |#GlobalResearchGovernance Allen Mukhwana Vincent Nkundimana Jordan Kyongo, PhD

With tens of thousands of false claims circulating online, how do fact-checkers decide which ones matter most? This question lies at the heart of an upcoming webinar organized by ARIJ's AFCN. During the session, researcher Peter Cunliffe-Jones (UK) and Dr. Arwa Kooli (Tunisia) will present insights from AFCN’s new study, supported by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and led by Stellenbosch University in South Africa, exploring how fact-checkers across the Arab world determine which claims to verify. The discussion will also highlight key lessons from Cunliffe-Jones’ new peer-reviewed book, Fake News – What’s the Harm?, which introduces a framework to help fact-checkers identify and prioritize the most consequential false claims. 📅 Monday, October 27, 2025 ⏰ 18:00 – 19:30 Amman time (GMT+3) 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eG_T3xu5

🌍 ACCI sets African standards for competitive intelligence Launched in 2016 by ACCI, the African Framework for Competitive Intelligence is the very first tool designed to raise awareness, structure, and assess intelligence training programs across the continent. 👉 With 23 criteria and 175 indicators, this unique guide supports public and private decision-makers in their pursuit of competitiveness and influence. 📥 Download it now: https://lnkd.in/eShepNPv #ACCI #CAVIE #CompetitiveIntelligence #BusinessIntelligence #Influence #Africa #Competitiveness

🎉 7,000 evaluations and counting! 🎉 The number of evaluations stored in UNDP's Evaluation Resource Center (ERC) has surpassed 7,000 - a major milestone in our commitment to transparency, learning and evidence-based decision-making. The ERC houses: 🔹 All Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) evaluations 🔹 Thousands of decentralized evaluations from UNDP country offices, UNCDF and UNV 🔹 Coverage across 130 countries and 5,400+ projects 🔹 Evaluations published between 1997 and 2025 ERC isn’t just a repository. It’s a living system for planning, sharing and learning. From evaluation plans and TORs to management responses and follow-up, ERC empowers teams worldwide to reflect and improve UNDP's support to countries. 👉 Explore the evaluations in the ERC: https://erc.undp.org/ 👉 Uncover their insights using AIDA: https://aida.undp.org/