Page 45 - AERC Strategic Plan 2 July2020

THE AERC 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

» First convening to be planned in the first year of the strategic plan with an events
management procured. The first convening to be held in the second year of the
strategic plan with a pilot retention programme rolled out in the second year.
Both the convenings and retention programme will be modified in the third to
the fifth year;

» A modified Senior Policy Seminar will be run in the second year of the strategic
plan with a support-service programme researched and developed in the first
year working with the agency of record. The pilot programme will be launched
in the second year, post-seminar, for adjustments in the third to fifth years based
on monitoring and evaluation results; and

» Country policy directors will be identified to strengthen national capacity
to undertake and help policymakers implement evidence-based policy
recommendations, adapting to local context. These directors will be familiar
with the local-policy ecosystem and have long-standing relationships to contract
from the first to the fifth year of the strategic plan.

Outcome 2: Enhance AERC policy engagement and outreach to maximize AERC’s
impact on evidence-based policymaking by improving the utility
of research.

Policy communications provide an opportunity for AERC to leverage its expertise
to governments, NGOs, think tanks, and partners while influencing the adoption of
recommended economic policy reforms, by:

» Improving dissemination of policy recommendations beyond AERC’s known
networks; taking a broader approach by utilizing regional conferences
and topic-specific conferences; positioning expert opinion; sharing policy
recommendations digitally; mobilizing alumni; and packaging policy-support
information that is customized by country and economic issues;

» Developing a deeper understanding of the policy landscape within each
country within AERC’s purview, including key economic issues, challenges and
opportunities to map the need for policy recommendations, training needs, and
research opportunities;
» Collaborating with leading policy institutes and regional organizations through
formalizing partnerships with key institutions and regional blocs (MoUs);

» Developing a policy-outreach programme with ministries of finance and
central banks to expand support services for policy impact and adoption at the
national level; and

» Creating regional policy networks for East, Central, West, and Southern Africa
for networking with policymakers dealing with similar issues to cross-share
implementation process, challenges, and opportunities.

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