Within the framework of cooperation between the Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI) and the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), and as a result of the MOU signed on the 19th of October 2020 by the two institutions, CCARDESA engaged ReNAPRI to facilitate a 4 Day Training workshop in the SADC Region on Policy Analysis, Formulation, Advocacy, and Resource Mobilization using the Agricultural Innovation Systems-Policy Practice Index (AIS-PPI) Tool. The training took place virtually from 13th September to 16th September 2021. The main objectives of the training were as follows;
- To build the capacity of countries in southern Africa to enable them to use the Agricultural Innovation System’s Policy Practice Index (AIS-PPI) as a tool to assess the performance of in-country Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies.
- To enhance the capacity of CAADP-XP4 organizations in southern Africa in resource mobilization to promote agricultural research and innovation in Africa.
Speaking on behalf of ReNAPRI, Dr Nalishebo Meebelo Executive Director at the ReNAPRI Secretariat thanked CCARDESA for the opportunity given to ReNAPRI to implement selected CAADP XP4 Programme activities in the southern Africa Region. She said that this signalled the launch of a long partnership journey between the two institutions. She enjoined participants to take the opportunity to understand the AIS-PPI tool which has been proven to be a very useful means for evaluating the effectiveness of policies across Africa.
In his opening remarks on behalf of the CCARDESA Secretariat, Dr. Baitisi Podisi the CAADP-XP4 Regional Programme Coordinator, expressed gratitude to all the participants who had created time from their busy schedules to be part of the training. He said that this was a sign of commitment from CCARDESA member states concerning the importance of the training. He further called on participants to make good use of the Agricultural Innovation Systems-Policy Practice Index (AIS-PPI) tool, which is used to measure the implementation and monitoring of policy. He concluded by thanking all the partners present during the training notably ReNAPRI and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). Dr. Podisi ended his remarks by officially declaring the training open.
The Agricultural Innovation Systems-Policy Practice Index (AIS-PPI) Tool has been developed by FARA, and representing FARA during the training was Dr. Kwaku Antwi, who highlighted the importance of the tool in helping to review the formulation and implementation of existing policies and to provide lessons learnt in order to inform the formulation of new polices. He thanked CCARDESA and ReNAPRI for inviting FARA to be part of the training and called on participants to draw inspiration from the success stories resulting from the implementation of the tool in Rwanda, Ghana, Egypt and Malawi.
For Four Days (13 -16th September 2021) and for more than 3 hours a day, the ReNAPRI Zoom space was the place to be, as participants from Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon and Kenya listened and engaged ReNAPRI with facilitators on the enriching presentations about the AIS-PPI Tool. The training workshop ended with a call on participants to save the date for a Webinar, in October 2021, designed to be an avenue for sharing lessons about the use of the tool in the SADC region.
The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) is a Sub-Regional Organization (SRO) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. CCARDESA is implementing a regional component of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme ex-Pillar 4 (CAADP X-P4) Programme in Southern Africa along with other CAADP XP4 African Institutions. The programme is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to support National Agricultural Knowledge and Innovative Systems (NAKIS) in African countries and ultimately the rural poor.
In its efforts to enhance partnerships for strong policy research, and to deliver on capacity building efforts, ReNAPRI facilitated this training led by network members – Dr. Emmanuel Mwakiwa, Dr. Jackson Langat, Dr. Shephard Siziba, Lulama Traub, Dr. Nalishebo Meebelo and Alphonse Akouyu.