Diana Warira wins Africa Evidence Leadership Award

Diana Warira, a policy manager at a global research center, has won this year’s Africa Evidence Leadership Award.

The award seeks to recognise individuals who have demonstrated clear and enduring leadership in the field of evidence-informed decision-making on the continent.

“Still digesting this wonderful news! I look forward to a great year as a strong advocate for #EIPM in Africa as an @Africa_evidence ambassador! There’s no better pathway to sustainable development in Africa,” Diana said on Twitter.

The award from the Africa Evidence Network seeks to recognise efforts of individuals who are innovating with interventions that promote, support and enable the use of evidence in decision-making in government institutions.

The recipient of the award gets an opportunity to deliver a keynote address on their work at the biennial Evidence program conference; economy return flights and accommodation while attending the conference; up to $1500 (Ksh. 161,550) travel grant and a token of recognition.

Diana is a Policy Manager at Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).

She manages J-PAL’s Gender and Economic Agency initiative (GEA) in East Africa and is based at the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Kenya.

Diana works with governments and non-state actors in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to build strategic relationships and synthesize and facilitate the use of evidence to inform public policies on women’s work in East Africa.

Prior to joining J-PAL/IPA, Diana was a communications consultant which included research work with the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results, Anglophone Africa and a communications advisory role for the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.

She has also served as a communications officer at the African Institute for Development Policy where she worked for nearly five years in the communications and policy engagement team.

This pic always brings me joy. 4ever grateful for opportunities that’ve let me pursue my dreams as a young mum. Thank you ⁦@TheWilsonCenter⁩ ⁦@Afidep⁩ for supporting mothers pursue their goals! #HappyMothersDay to all mums defying the odds & reaching for their dreams. pic.twitter.com/2EVllyfhyJ

— Dee Warira (@deewarira) May 10, 2020

Her role involved enhancing evidence-informed policymaking in Africa on issues including the demographic dividend and adolescent sexual and reproductive health, among others.

Diana also worked in a similar role at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) for nearly two years.

She is an alumna of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Southern Voices Network for Peace building program and a member of various professional associations including the Africa Evidence Network (AEN) and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population, among others.

“I didn’t have a sense of how many more institutions on the continent are talking about EIDM. When I joined AEN I was like ‘wow’ that there are so many voices. Not that we shouldn’t continue appreciating the voices in the rest of the world, but knowing there is so much more expertise on the continent, that I can definitely link to my involvement with the AEN,” she said as quoted by AEN.

Diana is also an alumna of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center, East Africa, and has inspired fellow alumni to actively play a role in Africa’s demographic dividend agenda.

An amazing session today with @YALIRLCEA #cohort36 on how they can actively contribute to Africa’s #demographicdividend. Grateful for the strong partnership with @NCPD_Kenya @Afidep @AfroDemography. The generation that will transform Africa has already been born! #YouthDividend pic.twitter.com/kBepSMd918

— Dee Warira (@deewarira) February 24, 2020