Issue 22 of Southern Lens on Development by Prof. Jane Mariara
Opening reflection
2025 was a year of learning, consolidation, and forward momentum for PEP. In a complex and fast-evolving development landscape, the organisation focused on strengthening how evidence is generated, communicated, and connected to policy processes—ensuring that research informs real-world decision-making rather than ending at analysis.
This update offers a snapshot of how efforts to deepen policy engagement, align research and capacity development, strengthen organisational systems, and improve evidence communication shaped programme delivery and engagement milestones in 2025.
Programme delivery and thematic focus in 2025
In practice, 2025 was marked by stronger integration across research, capacity development, and policy engagement within PEP-supported programmes. Research teams increasingly engaged policymakers earlier in the research process, improving the relevance of research questions and supporting more sustained engagement beyond dissemination.
Further reflections on programme delivery and thematic priorities are shared in my detailed 2026 New Year message.
Governance and institutional strengthening
Delivering a growing and evolving programme portfolio in 2025 required sustained attention to internal systems and governance. The year represented a period of organisational consolidation, with continued investment in policy engagement, monitoring, and communications functions to ensure accountability, resilience, and readiness to deliver impact at scale.
PEP also expanded platforms that amplify Southern perspectives and make evidence more accessible to policymakers, practitioners, and the wider public reflecting the conviction that impact depends not only on technical rigour, but also on effective engagement and influence.
Alongside these efforts, the organisation prioritised governance reflection and institutional stewardship. The Board and management undertook structured reviews of governance and organisational arrangements to ensure alignment with PEP’s evolving mandate and growing portfolio. These processes supported effective oversight, informed decision-making, and a more dynamic approach to Board engagement and renewal, while reinforcing PEP’s commitment to transparency and long-term sustainability.
From evidence to influence: early policy engagement in 2026
Early in 2026, PEP’s approach to linking evidence with policy was already visible in international policy dialogue. In January, PEP brought Southern-led evidence into a major European climate policy debate in Brussels, contributing Global South perspectives to discussions on sustainable and inclusive wellbeing.
This engagement highlights how PEP-supported research is increasingly shaping policy conversations beyond national settings.
What’s ahead in 2026
Building on this momentum, 2026 will be a year of continued policy engagement and knowledge exchange. Priority engagement moments are already taking shape in the first quarter, alongside the integration of new Board leadership. The year ahead will also see the dissemination of key research findings and synthesis outputs, as well as major convenings, including the 2026 Annual General Meeting and Policy Conference and a series of regional policy dialogues. These efforts align with the priorities set out in PEP’s forthcoming Strategic Development Plan (2026–2030), which will guide growth, partnerships, and impact in the years ahead.
Closing note
As we move through 2026, we do so with optimism and purpose. Together with our research teams, partners, and collaborators, we will continue to strengthen local capacity and ensure that rigorous, locally generated evidence informs decisions where it matters most. Thank you for being part of this shared effort.
Key Activities in 2025
- Conclusion of What Works for Youth Employment in Africa (Mastercard Foundation), covering ten African countries, alongside the launch of the Youth Employment Programmes in Africa book and an open-access youth employment repository.
- Delivery of research under the Learning and Knowledge Management Project (LKMP), funded by Global Affairs Canada.
- Implementation of IDRC-supported renewable energy and agriculture initiatives, including the Clean Energy for Development (CEDCA) programme.
- Contribution to the Horizon Europe–funded Sustainability, Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES) project.
- Implementation of the Hewlett-funded Evidence-Informed Policymaking (EIP) programme, including Building sustainable and synergistic EIP ecosystems in East and West Africa.
- Delivery of the IDRC-funded CRISP initiative in Ethiopia, focusing on inclusive and sustainable procurement and cooking models to support home-grown school feeding.
- 2025 PEP Policy Conference on Financing and Inclusivity in Green Energy Transitions in the Global South (Nairobi, Kenya), convening representatives from more than 70 research projects for peer learning and evidence exchange
- Support to national and regional policy conferences convened by PEP-supported research teams across education, health, agriculture, and youth employment.
- Selection of the third cohort of the Africa Fellows in Education Program (AFEP).
- Delivery of impact evaluation workshops, economics of education training, and specialised mentoring for AFEP fellows.
- Continued delivery of the online training programme in development economics, in partnership with the University of Florence.
Participation in the following global and regional policy and research forums:
- Global Philanthropy Leaders’ Forum – San Francisco, USA
- African AI x Economic Transformation Forum – San Francisco, USA
- IDRC GROW Workshop – Nairobi, Kenya
- 8th KIPPRA Annual Regional Conference: Shaping Pathways to Future Jobs: Unlocking Opportunities for Youth – Nairobi, Kenya
- Africa Exchange Summit – Nairobi, Kenya
- Forum on the Macroeconomics of Green and Resilient Transitions – Copenhagen, Denmark
- Africa Evidence Summit – Nairobi, Kenya
- CLARITY–Africa Consortium Meeting – Kigali, Rwanda
- Africa Think Tanks Summit: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Development Economics Workshop – Nairobi, Kenya
- Clean Energy for Development in Africa (CEDCA) Global Learning Cohort Workshop – Johannesburg, South Africa
- Africa Growth and Opportunity: Research in Action (AGORA) Conference – Palermo, Italy
- Global Impact Evaluation Forum 2025 – Rome, Italy
