Senior officials trained in using evidence effectively in policy
Senior government officials from across South Africa, as well as from Lesotho, Benin and Uganda attended a three-day executive course that focused on how public officials can incorporate evidence-based information when developing and implementing policy. The course is the result of a partnership between the Graduate School of Development Policy and Practice (GSDPP), the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development in the Presidency.
It was facilitated by Dr Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela, currently advisor to Minister Naledi Pandor in the Department of Science and Technology, and Prof Ruth Stewart, who is based at the University of Johannesburg and is also affiliated with the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information Centre (EPPI-Centre) at University College London.
The facilitators were supported by experts drawn from both academia and government, including Dr. Ian Goldman of DPME and GSDPP director, Prof Alan Hirsch.
The Evidence-Based Policy-Making and Implementation executive course is a flagship course of the GSDPP and this is the fourth time that the workshop has been offered by the School.
The programme was aimed at strategic managers in the public service, engaging with them to deepen understanding of the value of using evidence to inform policy making and implementation.
Participants were addressed by a number of senior cabinet officials, including a facilitated conversation with Minister Jeff Radebe, Minister in the Presidency. Ms Nosipho Ngcaba, Director-General of the Department of Environmental Affairs led a session where she gave participants insight into how her department has used evidence-based information when developing specific policy directives.
The course was designed to assist participants to use evidence more effectively to make well-informed decisions about policies, programmes, projects and services and to improve government’s impact on society. This in turn will help public officials to better manage resources and budgets.
Minister Jeff Radebe, the Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration, addressed senior government officials who were attending the Evidence-based Policy-making and Implementation course in Cape Town on Wednesday night, 28 October. He was in conversation with GSDPP director, Prof Alan Hirsch. Minister Radebe stressed the importance of accurate, evidence-led information in helping to formulate government policies. The course was conducted in partnership with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development in the Presidency.