On 10 and 11 June 2026, the Policy and Research Services branch and the Policy Innovation Lab convened a policy dialogue on strengthening policy advice through effective policy briefs. Set against the backdrop of South Africa’s economic diplomacy in an era of geopolitical uncertainty, the dialogue explored how evidence-informed, people-centred and concise policy briefs can better support government decision-making through practical, actionable recommendations.
SDGi kicked off June with a policy dialogue convened by the Policy and Research Services branch and the Policy Innovation Lab focused on strengthening policy advice. At the centre of the dialogue was how to develop a well-written policy brief that can be used as a tool to inform and advise decision-makers in government.
Translating theory into practice, the discussions were rooted in South Africa’s economic diplomacy in an era of geopolitical uncertainty. Key insights from the dialogue:
- Policy briefs should prompt engagement by contextualising policy problems using a multi-disciplinary approach
- Policy problems should be rooted in real-life experiences and humanised
- Policy briefs must be easy on the eye, at least 4 to 6 pages long and visually appealing to the target audience
- Recommendations should be accompanied with a breakdown of the practical steps to be taken
Step by step, SDGi is enhancing evidence-informed policy-making.