The National Evidence Summit (NES) Sierra Leone, 2026, brought together policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, development partners, journalists, and youth leaders to advance evidence-informed decision-making in the country. The well-attended 3-day hybrid event reflected growing national momentum around integrating research, data, and lived experiences into policy and practice.
Held under the theme “Local Drivers of Change,” the summit emphasised the importance of locally generated knowledge, community engagement, and collaboration between government, research institutions, and civil society.
NES Sierra Leone is an annual flagship event organised by the Institute for Development (IfD) in collaboration with national and international partners. It provides a platform for stakeholders to move evidence beyond reports and research outputs into concrete decisions, policies, budgets, and actions.
At NES 2026, government institutions, development partners, researchers, youth representatives, civil society organisations (CSOs), community leaders, creatives, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovators shared diverse forms of evidence, including research findings and lived experiences. Discussions focused on how these different types of knowledge can drive more inclusive, locally owned, and locally led development.
Local ownership has become a cornerstone of contemporary development thinking, recognising that policies and interventions are more effective when shaped by those who understand local social, political, and institutional contexts. Rather than implementing externally designed solutions, development practice increasingly emphasises the role of national institutions, communities, and local stakeholders in defining priorities and shaping responses.
This principle is reflected in global development commitments. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17, which focuses on partnerships, highlights the importance of strengthening capacity in developing countries (17.9) and fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships (17.16) that bring together governments, civil society, and the private sector (17.17). These targets recognise that development outcomes are more sustainable when local institutions and stakeholders have the capacity, resources, and collaborative structures to lead decision-making. This agenda also aligns with SDG 16 on inclusive governance and accountable institutions, and SDG 10 on reducing inequalities by giving marginalised groups—such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities—a stronger voice in decision-making (United Nations Development Programme, 2026).
At IfD local ownership is not just a principle—it shapes how we work every day and how we support others to work. Across our programmes, we focus on ensuring that evidence is generated by those closest to the issues and used by those responsible for responding to them. Initiatives such as ReBUILD for Resilience (ReBUILD), which strengthens health systems through participatory action research, and After the End (AtE), which centres lived experience as evidence, reflect this approach in practice.
Our role is often to act as a bridge. We support stakeholders to access and make sense of evidence, but more importantly, to use it. This means working closely with communities, practitioners, and decision-makers to connect local insights to national conversations and policy processes. Rather than leading from the front, we facilitate spaces where different actors can engage, question, and apply evidence in ways that are meaningful to them.
We also support platforms that bring these conversations together at a national level. NES, the National Evidence Awards (NEA), and Sabi Salone create opportunities for evidence to be shared, recognised, and acted upon. Through these spaces, evidence becomes more visible and more valued—and more importantly, more likely to shape decisions, policies, and practice.
This section brings together key thematic areas discussed at NES 2026, illustrating how evidence is being generated and applied in practice across Sierra Leone. Grounded in the theme Local Drivers of Change, these examples show how locally led approaches—many supported by IfD and its partners—are shaping responses to complex development challenges.
Across sectors, the discussions highlight a common point: evidence is most effective when it is rooted in local realities, shaped by community participation, and connected to systems that enable action.
This thematic area focuses on strengthening health systems through work led with partners under the ReBUILD Programme. ReBUILD is an international research consortium working in fragile and shock-prone settings to understand how health systems can better withstand crises while continuing to deliver essential services.
In Sierra Leone, this work has been taken forward through IfD in collaboration with the District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) in Kailahun and Moyamba, alongside embedded local researchers, CSOs, and community stakeholders including traditional leaders, youth groups, women’s groups, and health workers. Together, these partnerships have explored how local dialogue, accountability, and problem-solving can strengthen trust and responsiveness within the health system.