Why policy development and engagement?
Why Policy Engagement
While specific projects are necessary and important for the ultimate peace and development of Africa, our experience indicates that policies and laws are essential for setting the wider framework into which all such efforts fit.
Legislation and policy reforms are often challenging to accomplish. However, when accomplished they can have greater positive effects that are more far-reaching than individual projects focused on a single group, community, country, or region, or a single issue such as tree planting, or recycling a carrier bag.
Even where strong policy commitments exist, implementation or enforcement by state agencies is essential. In addition, advocacy and monitoring by non-state actors such as the civil society are vital to ensure that they are properly implemented and any feedback is taken in for improvement. In Africa, capacities to do these are usually inadequate. Mostly, science and research are rarely mentioned when Parliaments write legislation, conduct oversight or create/approve budgets in their respective countries. In many countries where there are devolved units, their capacities to perform their functions are greatly limited. We aim to address this gap, not just by infusing science and research, but also building capacities for policy development and implementation, and for the non-state actors to advocate and monitor the same.
ADRECI’s interests are in policy interventions including the legislation, priorities, programmes and institutional arrangements at subnational, national, regional and global levels, that impact on the sustainable development and peace of Africa
Our work seeks to influence robust policy development and implementation at all relevant levels, but with a bias to the scales with the most potential to impact people directly. It includes:
- Developing policy-orientated frameworks and briefs;
- Testing policy through implementation or supporting project implementation;
- Providing data and research to support evidence-based policymaking;
- Providing data and research tools and techniques to support policy deployment and implementation;
- Providing technical support for advocacy and monitoring especially by the civil society and NGOs to ensure proper implementation of policies;
- Advocacy, and engaging stakeholders and influencers of policy processes to facilitate the development of effective policies.