TaFW Training Group Organises STEG Workshop on Policy Briefs and Poster Presentation
The Transform Africa from Within (TaFW) Training Group at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), organised the Structural Transformation and Economic Growth (STEG) workshop on Research Communication for Policy and Practice on 14th July 2026 at the UGBS Graduate Building. The workshop, facilitated by Prof. Yaw Agyeman Boafo, equipped graduate students and researchers with practical skills to communicate their research effectively to policymakers and other non-academic audiences. Prof. Agyeman Boafo challenged participants to reflect on the broader purpose of research beyond academic requirements. He encouraged them to view research as a tool for influencing decisions, shaping policies and addressing real-world societal challenges rather than simply completing a degree or publishing journal articles. He explained the importance of presenting research in a clear and accessible manner without compromising its accuracy. He explained that simplifying research means removing unnecessary jargon while preserving the integrity of the evidence and key findings.
The workshop adopted a practical approach, with participants working directly on their thesis and dissertation topics instead of hypothetical case studies. Through hands-on activities, they learned how to translate research findings into actionable policy messages and develop communication products that could be refined and used beyond the classroom. Learning objectives included understanding the purpose of policy briefs, identifying target audiences, structuring professional policy briefs, and developing evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and practitioners. Participants also undertook practical exercises that required them to identify the problem their research addresses, summarise their most important findings, explain the significance of those findings, develop recommendations and identify the institutions or stakeholders responsible for implementing them. Throughout the exercise, Prof. Agyeman Boafo provided expert guidance, encouraging participants to make their recommendations more specific, evidence-based and action-oriented.
Prof. Yaw Agyeman Boafo, delivering a presentation at the 3rd STEG Workshop
A member of the TaFW team, Prof. Edward Asiedu, also engaged participants on the importance of translating research into policy and practice. He explained that policy briefs serve as valuable tools for policymakers, non-governmental organisations and practitioners because they present research findings in a concise and accessible format that can easily inform decision-making. He noted that this is one of the reasons researchers are now investing in research blogs to make research outputs more widely accessible. Prof. Asiedu encouraged participants to craft interesting and compelling titles for their policy briefs to attract readers and advised that policy briefs should always provide links to the full research paper for those interested in exploring the evidence in greater depth.
Providing an overview of STEG's capacity-building activities, he noted that this was the third workshop organised by the research group. He announced that upcoming sessions would focus on agricultural productivity and writing journal papers, while future STEG workshops would also place greater emphasis on research evaluation. He further educated participants on how to successfully apply and qualify for future STEG seminars, emphasising the importance of building research networks. He also highlighted STEG's commitment to supporting graduate researchers, noting that the group provides financial support to selected graduate students to facilitate their data collection.
Prof. Edward Asiedu addressing participant at the 3rd STEG Workshop
The workshop continued with Prof. Agyeman Boafo on Designing High-Impact Scientific and Policy Posters, where participants were introduced to effective strategies for communicating research visually. He explained that the golden rule of poster design is to design for scanning rather than reading, enabling audiences to quickly grasp the key message. He demonstrated the anatomy of an effective research poster, explaining how poster presentations differ from PowerPoint slides. According to him, a good poster should tell a coherent story by answering five essential questions: What problem are you addressing? Why is it important? What did you do? What did you discover? Why should anyone care?
Prof. Yaw Agyeman Boafo also advised participants to confirm the size requirements of conference posters, noting that academic conferences often have specific guidelines. He discussed appropriate poster dimensions, digital poster formats, effective background selection, the use of text and images, content organisation, layout, citations and acknowledgements to ensure posters are both visually appealing and informative. He concluded by encouraging participants to embrace posters as an important research communication tool, explaining that they provide an accessible, engaging and efficient way of presenting research findings to both academic and non-academic audiences.