Public policy decisions in Africa are increasingly tested against questions about value for money, fiscal sustainability and distributional impact. Funders, parliaments and citizens expect proposals backed by transparent economic reasoning, yet many analytical units struggle to move from textbook theory to usable advice on real programmes with imperfect data.

This course bridges that gap. It starts with a refresher on the economic concepts that matter most in policy work, including supply and demand, market failure, externalities, public goods and macroeconomic linkages. It then develops the analytical toolkit: partial equilibrium analysis, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness appraisal, distributional analysis, risk and sensitivity testing, and the interpretation of regression and impact evaluation evidence. Participants then examine how to frame problems, compare options against clear criteria and handle uncertainty.

Each concept is applied immediately to a case, and participants build spreadsheet models in class. The closing sessions focus on communication, showing how to convert technical findings into a concise brief, a visual summary and a persuasive oral presentation. Participants leave with a worked policy appraisal that they can adapt for their own ministry, agency or organisation.

On completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Frame a policy problem and set out options and evaluation criteria.
• Apply microeconomic concepts such as elasticity, incidence and market failure to policy design.
• Interpret key macroeconomic indicators and link them to fiscal and monetary decisions.
• Carry out cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis with appropriate discounting.
• Test results through sensitivity, scenario and risk analysis.
• Assess the distributional and gender effects of a proposed policy.
• Read regression and impact evaluation results critically.
• Write a concise, evidence-based policy brief and present it to decision makers.

The course is intended for analysts and advisers who inform or make policy decisions, including:

• Economists and policy analysts in ministries and state agencies
• Planning and budget officers
• Central bank and regulatory authority staff
• Researchers in think tanks and universities
• Programme and policy advisers in NGOs and development agencies
• Parliamentary and county assembly research staff
• Monitoring, evaluation and strategy officers
• Consultants preparing sector or investment appraisals

Participants take away:

• A structured template for framing and appraising policy options.
• A working cost-benefit spreadsheet model with discounting and sensitivity analysis.
• A checklist for judging the quality of economic evidence in reports and studies.
• Methods for showing who gains and who bears the cost of a policy.
• A completed policy brief and a short briefing presentation.
• Greater confidence in defending economic assumptions to senior officials and funders.

The course favours applied work over lectures. It uses:

• Concise concept refreshers tied immediately to policy questions
• Spreadsheet laboratories where participants build and stress-test models
• Case files drawn from health, energy, agriculture, transport and social protection
• Critique sessions on real government and donor reports
• Peer-reviewed policy brief drafting and a closing briefing

A CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion, issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy, is awarded to participants who attend the programme and complete the modelling and brief-writing exercises.