It all began with a discussion at ICED's Ghana office on Wednesday, April 15, where Dr. Fadel Ndiame, executive director of Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR), met with ICED’s Ghana team to discuss the progress of the 2026 Evidence of Action Conference and Exhibition (#E2A2026). As a partner for E2A 2026, Dr. Ndiame expressed PASGR's interest in ensuring that the conference had the necessary support for greater impact. The team also shared past E2A content with Dr. Ndiame, reflecting on the successes and exploring further partnerships that would enhance the conference's impact. On reviewing the images and videos from past E2A events, one team member exclaimed, "I'm now realizing how much we've achieved through E2A!"
The following day, April 16, Dr. Ndiame joined Dr. Kwadwo Danso-Mensah, ICED director of research, and Brian Ametsikor, E2A coordinator and ICED operations manager, to meet Prof. Robert Osei, director of the Institute for Social, Statistical and Economic Research (ISSER). The meeting was also attended by several key ISSER faculty members, including Prof. Simon Bawakyillenuo and Dr. Richmond Atta-Ankomah. Beginning with an official introduction of both directors, the conversation explored common research and impact interests between ISSER, PASGR, and ICED.
During the engagement that also addressed the need for institutional collaborations and the benefit of the theme for E2A 2026, Prof. Osei affirmed, "...what will enable us to catch up [to the world] is investing in higher education and translating multidisciplinary research into policy, [therefore] taking the research output and feeding it into the policy space".
As the meeting concluded, Dr. Ndiame agreed, encouraging all present, "Now, let's walk the talk."
