Institute for Development leads reflection on lived experience as evidence during their second National Evidence Summit in Freetown

From 24th to 26th February 2026, After the End collaborator Institute for Development (IfD), held their second National Evidence Summit (NES) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The event has become an annual flagship event organised by IfD in collaboration with national and international partners. It provides a platform for stakeholders to move evidence beyond reports and research outputs into concrete decisions, policies, budgets, and actions.

At NES 2026, government institutions, development partners, researchers, youth representatives, civil society organisations (CSOs), community leaders, creatives, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovators shared diverse forms of evidence, including research findings and lived experiences. Discussions focused on how these different types of knowledge can drive more inclusive, locally owned, and locally led development.

During the 3-day summit, participants were led in presentations and debates to consider the research being conducted through projects including the After the End research project. Across different crises—including Ebola, the Freetown mudslides, and COVID-19—a consistent insight emerges: recovery is not a fixed endpoint, but an ongoing and uneven process shaped by social, economic, and emotional realities. While institutional narratives often frame crises with clear beginnings and endings, lived experiences point instead to prolonged and fragmented aftermaths.

Reflections from panel discussions reinforced the importance of recognising lived experience as a valid and necessary form of evidence. Policies and preparedness frameworks are more effective when informed by those directly affected, particularly groups whose perspectives are often marginalised. This includes recognising differentiated experiences—shaped by gender, age, and disability—and ensuring these inform more inclusive approaches to crisis response.

As part of the Summit this year, a Creative Arts Festival was held with the aim of bringing together the young talent of Sierra Leone in a creative expression of recovery, wellbeing and the future through poetry, art and performance.

You can read the full report of the National Evidence Summit Sierra Leone here.

Anais Bash-Taqi, Research & Communication Officer, Institute for Development