Professional Affiliation

Communications Officer, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)

Expert Bio

Diana is a communications specialist with over 8 years’ experience in development and research communications. She is a communications officer at the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), a non-profit and international non-governmental organisation with headquarters in Kenya. Diana’s career interests are in the role communicating research evidence plays in public policymaking and development in Africa. Her career goal is to use research evidence to tell stories that influence formulation of sound public polices in Africa. Diana also has a passion for multimedia production as a tool for strategic communication. She is a member of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) and the Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST). She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Communications (Development Communications major) at Daystar University (Kenya) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Science (Publishing and Media Studies major) from Moi University (Kenya).

https://dianawarira.wordpress.com/

Wilson Center Project

The value of science communication in the ecosystem of evidence uptake and policymaking in Africa

Project Summary

Evidence-informed policymaking is a key driver of effective development decisions in the post-2015 development agenda. A critical component of the research-to-policy ecosystem is science communication. Policymakers are an important public and the need for research to be communicated to them is critical for development, more so in Africa, where policies are often irrelevant or fail to address development challenges effectively. Further, effective policymaking is key in achieving and sustaining peace. When policies don’t address people’s problems, they feel disillusioned about their future and more often than not this breeds conflict. Communicating research evidence to policymakers is therefore critical for effective policymaking and peacebuilding in Africa. This project seeks to draw lessons from the U.S. context to ensure science communication in Africa plays a major role in achievement of evidence-informed policies that address the continent’s challenges holistically, and contribute towards the achievement of sustainable peace and development for decades to come.

Major Publications

Warira, D., Mueni, E., Gay, E., & Lee, M. (2017). Achieving and sustaining evidence-informed policymaking: Effective communication and collaboration can go a long way. Science Communication,39(3), 382-394. doi:10.1177/1075547017710243

Warira, D. (2017, July 10). Sexuality education for Kenya’s youth: When the evidence is on the wall, but politics gets in the way. The Standard (Ureport). Retrieved from https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ureport/article/2001246878/sexuality-education-for-kenya-s-youth-when-the-evidence-is-on-the-wall-but-politics-gets-in-the-way

 

Warira, D. (2016, August 1). Communications skills for researchers critical for effective translation of research into policy. Retrieved from https://www.afidep.org/communications-skills-researchers-critical-effective-translation-research-policy/