We undertook a five-year research and capacity-building program focused on supporting evidence-informed health policies and systems in Africa. We conducted the first multi-country study of knowledge translation (KT) platforms globally, with key take-home messages including that policymakers, stakeholders and researchers should: 1) prepare evidence briefs and convene policy dialogues (or demand them), and continue to collect data that will allow us to better match their design features with issues and contexts; 2) prepare rapid syntheses (or demand them), and start to collect data that will allow us to better match their design features with issues and contexts; and 3) think carefully about how to design and where to house KT platforms in light of local contexts and infrastructure, and consider attempting to shift the local context in ways that are more conducive to the work of KT platforms. Using a unique set of training and fieldwork opportunities, we also created a cohort of 11 rising stars from Canada and four African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Uganda), as well as Colombia, who are now working in close collaboration with one another on the study and practice of evidence-informed health policies and systems across a broad range of countries.