Decades of research on energy for sustainable development in Africa have, for the most part, failed to produce transformative policies and strategies for advancing universal access, security and sustainability goals. More often than not, decision-makers continue to rely on imported solutions that are not well-aligned with community needs and conditions. In response to this well-documented challenge, several innovative solutions have appeared on the energy-development research landscape, driven by pioneering researchers and organizations inspired by translational research thought and practice. Applications in the energy and environmental research field include: translating findings into “energy policy briefs” targeting specific stakeholders; and the deployment of tools such as blogs, podcasts and platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and podcasts, for dissemination energy research findings. As will be demonstrated, however, performance assessments of these approaches in bridging research-policy gaps is mixed; the pace of adoption by the majority of researchers in Africa is well below what is needed to close the afore-mentioned gaps. Besides the obvious physical infrastructure constraints hampering the accelerated adoption of translational research approaches, more subtle ideological, cultural and institutional factors are also identified. Promising examples of success in addressing these challenges in Africa and elsewhere are highlighted.

Bridging Energy Research-Policy Gaps in Africa: Mission Impossible?