VAKA YIKO (Ghana) PROJECT

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Evidence-based policymaking has been a subject of international discussion over the past decade, and development efforts are being channeled into assisting governments, especially of developing countries, to pursue policies that are based on research evidence. The routine use of research evidence to inform policy making requires at least three factors to be in place; individuals with the skills to access, evaluate and use research information; processes for handling research evidence in policy making departments; and a facilitating environment that identifies and responds appropriately to research uptake needs.

It was to this effect that DFID (the UK government’s Department for International Development) made a call aimed at promoting B-CURE (Building Capacity for the Use of Research Evidence). Specifically, B-CURE focuses on strengthening the demand for research evidence in public policymaking processes. In response to the DFID call, INASP (the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications) leads a consortium, of which GINKS (Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing) is a part, to implement B-CURE (code named VAKA YIKO) in three African countries, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ghana.

VAKA YIKO is an amalgamation of two African words. ‘Vaka’ is a southern African word that means ‘to build’, whiles ‘Yiko’ comes from Dagbani in Northern Ghana that means ‘ability’ or ‘capacity’. Together, these words depict the specific goal of the programme, which is to increase the capacity of policy makers to respond to research uptake needs in consortium partner countries. Ultimately, VAKA YIKO will want to create an impact of better formulated and implemented policies and processes as a result of increased access, evaluation, scrutiny and use of research evidence in partner countries. To achieve these ideals the programme targets three landmark outcomes;

• Capacity development of policy making staff from selected countries  in skills for  EIPM (Evidence Informed Policy Making)
• Case studies and other practice-based outputs from LMIC on what works and what does not in supporting research uptake capacity produced and shared with wider sector
• Consortium partners able to support the delivery of appropriate training programmes in each of the four countries and receive demand from new departments