Systems of Evidence in African Parliaments

Systems of Evidence in African Parliaments REgional training workshop | Parliament of Uganda

PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA, OCTOBER 2018. "The importance of evidence in parliaments cannot be overstated." These were the words of Jane L. Kibirige, Clerk to the Parliament of Uganda to participants from the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Ghana who gathered for an opportunity to interact and learn from one another on good practices from different parliaments across Africa.

Key insights and recommendations from the workshop participants are shared below.

The importance of evidence in parliaments cannot be overstated.

Jane L. Kibirige, Clerk to the Parliament of Uganda

EVIDENCE IS:

information that is tested and contested

information that bridges gaps and works towards clearing doubt

the right information for the right purpose

EVIDENCE IN PARLIAMENTS:

is important to understand and effectively navigate the political context of evidence use

is needed for parliaments to execute their mandate

should be informed by multiple perspectives including, among others, research studies, evaluation reports, departmental reports, and what is seen on the ground

can inform monitoring and oversight, which allows for improved and robust decision-making

should include a gender equality and equity lens that examines issues around social inclusion and power relations

CAPACITY BUILDING IS NEEDED FOR:

researchers to appropriately respond to MPs' needs

MPs to understand why evidence is important

evidence generators and end users to facilitate an increased flow of information

effective selection, synthesis, and use of evidence to improve parliamentary oversight and decision-making

REGIONAL PEER LEARNING:

strengthens learning and sharing best practices

supports listening to different parts of society at national and regional levels, developing partnerships and networks for knowledge exchange that can contribute to improved evidence use among parliaments across the region

encourages more collaboration with civil society, regional associations, and networks to create a more enabling environment for mainstreaming equality issues

From all the interactions we have had from different countries representing Africa, I’ve learnt that we are facing more-or-less the same situations.

- Hon. Dr Immaculate Sware Semesi, MP, Parliament of Tanzania

READ THE WORKSHOP COMMUNIQUÉ

African MPs, Researchers call for enhanced evidence use in parliaments

WATCH THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON PEER LEARNING

It is clear that we cannot do our work effectively without evidence.

- Hon. Olipa Myaba Chiluba, MP, Parliament of Malawi and APNODE member

VIEW IMAGES FROM THE WORKSHOP

Hermine Engel of CLEAR-AA discusses the importance of evidence use in the parliamentary context and why African MPs and parliamentary researchers are learning from each other.

Issifu Lampo, Senior Governance Expert for the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs reflects on the gathering of MPs, parliamentary researchers and parliamentary organisations at a workshop held at the Parliament of Uganda. He explains why such gatherings need to continue.

We ask participants of a learning workshop what they will be taking back home. Abraham Zackaria, research consultant at the Parliament of Ghana, shares his thoughts.

Dr Rose Oronje of the African Institute for Development Policy discusses synthesis and knowledge sharing between MPs and researchers from different countries and the importance of workshops that facilitate such interactions

Evidence should be a cornerstone of all decision-making and parliamentary processes in African countries. However, the capacity and know-how is lagging. Hon. Charles Senbago of the Parliament of Rwanda shares his thoughts on why MPs need to continue learning and embracing evidence.

Hon. Immaculate Sware Semesi, MP Parliament of Tanzania and APNODE explains why continued learning is critical for MPs and the impacts on society and large.

The importance of evaluative evidence to inform decision- and policy-making must be highlighted

- Hon Evelyn Mpagi-Kaabule - APNODE Vice Chairperson

For more information on evidence, monitoring and evaluation or parliamentary trainings:

Twende Mbele

CLEAR-AA

Created By

Twende Mbele

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