In 2025, ICED continued to strengthen the link between evidence and action, bringing research into policy spaces, convening diverse actors, and supporting African-led approaches to evaluation and development. Across countries, sectors, and partnerships, our work focused on one core goal: ensuring that evidence informs decisions that improve lives and livelihoods.
This year was shaped by collaboration, learning, and momentum, both within ICED and with the many institutions and individuals we work alongside.
Throughout the year, ICED convened and contributed to spaces where evidence could be discussed, challenged, and applied.
Our flagship Evidence to Action Conference (E2A 2025) brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and partners to reflect on how evidence can better inform development decisions. In parallel, ICED participated in and contributed to global and regional platforms such as Evidence 2025, the International Evaluation Capacity Development Forum in China, and a learning convening in Morocco, reinforcing African perspectives in international evidence conversations.
Across webinars, trainings, conferences, and stakeholder meetings, ICED showed up consistently, creating spaces for dialogue, reflection, and shared learning.
From virtual sessions to in-person engagements, ICED’s activities spanned research, capacity strengthening, and partnership building.
Key engagements included:
Alongside structured events, ICED also engaged ministries, donors, and partners through courtesy visits and strategic meetings in Ghana and Kenya, ensuring evidence remains connected to real-world decision-making.
In 2025, ICED continued to produce and share evidence that informs policy, practice, and future research agendas.
Key outputs included:
Together, these products reflect ICED’s commitment to accessible, policy-relevant evidence that supports learning beyond single projects.
Explore ICED's knowledge products in the Research Hub
Collaboration remained central to ICED’s work in 2025.
This year saw the formalization and deepening of partnerships through:
These partnerships enabled ICED to extend its reach while ensuring that evidence remains locally grounded and policy-relevant.
Read more about ICED's 2025 MoUs in the Newsroom
Beyond individual events and outputs, 2025 was about investing in people.
Through the ALL-IN Research Network (ARN), ICED supported learning-by-doing, mentorship, and peer exchange among African researchers. Complementing this, ICED delivered targeted training and supported team formation around research proposals, helping strengthen institutional and individual research capacity.
At the center of ICED’s work are the people who make it possible.
In 2025, ICED navigated important transitions: concluding several long-running projects, welcoming new staff, and entering a new phase of leadership with the appointment of a new Board Chair. These moments marked both change and renewal, reinforcing ICED’s commitment to growth, reflection, and institutional learning.
Some moments don’t fit neatly into categories, but they matter.
This year included honorable recognition at international forums, meaningful engagement with regional and national actors, and quiet but impactful progress behind the scenes. Each contributed to ICED’s broader mission of strengthening evidence-informed development.
As we move into 2026, ICED remains focused on deepening partnerships, strengthening African-led evidence, and translating learning into action.
