Cameroon: Prof Chinje Zooms into Role of Universities in Evidence Uptake at Central Africa Think Tank Forum

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

YAOUNDE, September 20, 2023 – There is no point in researching if the findings do not get into policies. This is one of the key messages from Professor Uphie Chinje, former Rector, of the University of Nagounde. She says think tanks across the Central Africa subregion are currently plagued by implementation issues, and innovative tools as the main challenges to evidence research uptake.

Professor Uphie Chinje, former Rector of, the University of Nagounde, Cameroon was speaking to Dr Denis Foretia, Co-Chair, of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation and Executive Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute on Wednesday, September 20, during day one of the Nkafu Policy Institute’s Central Africa Forum, the first such initiative in the subregion.

The Central Africa Think Tank Forum brought together 20 think tankers, policymakers, renowned researchers, and diplomatic missions, amongst others, is an occasion to brainstorm and map out best strategies, share experiences and good practices on how think tanks enhance their capacities to exert real influence in shaping policies and carrying out quality research for improved efficiency and a more visible impact within the continent and globally.

Professor Uphie Chinje said: “Almost everything we do in society needs some method of studying it. With the evidence uptake, it is going to improve everything that researchers do.”

“Research is not all about laboratory research, if not, it is a wasted resource. Some research you carry out today might be useful decades later but we need to make sure of what we do, especially implementation research. The ecosystem needs to be put in place to make sure that everything moves on smoothly which involves bringing in the government, users and others.”

This Central Africa Think Tank Forum comes on the heels of the two-day Leadership and Advocacy Immersion for Think Tank Leaders of Central Africa that ran from July 25-26. The Immersion program brought together 15 think tanks from Burundi, Rwanda, Congo Brazzaville, Congo Kinshasa, Central Africa Republic, Gabon, Chad and Cameroon.

The 2-day Central Africa Think Tank Forum which features funders and international organizations, is a unique opportunity for think tanks in Central Africa to relate with stakeholders of the research community across the globe, pitch their projects, focus attention and develop the much-needed networks that would give their activities visibility and help build a democratic and freer society.

Recently, think tanks have become key players in policy-making and the promotion of socio-economic development. They play a critical role in promoting open and transparent governance, the rule of law, respect for fundamental human rights, inclusive and sustainable conflict resolution and many more.

Think tanks in Central Africa remain institutionally fragile and are yet to exert a real influence in fostering the emergence of an open society in the Central Africa subregion. To maximize their impact, think tanks must constantly optimize their strategies to strengthen their capacities.

Today, things seem to be changing in the right direction with products made in Cameroon being given some level of priority. “Things are moving, it might be very slow but things are going in the right direction,” Professor Uphie Chinje added.

"The Central Africa Think Tank Forum is very great and I applaud the think tanks. As I advised, they just need to continue reflecting and finding new ways on how the information they produce can be carried to decision-makers. The problem is the policy-makers, they need to come closer to the think tanks for us to be able to work as a team. It is a team effort for such documents to be produced."