The effective use of public policy to reduce poverty and inequality in southern Africa requires an increased use of research evidence to inform decision making. There is an absence of clear evidence as to how best to encourage evidence-informed decision making, and how to build capacity among decision makers in the use of research. This paper proposes a demand-focused approach for increasing the use of evidence in policy, presenting strategies supporting "pull" activities and closer linkages and exchanges between producers and users. The paper shares for discussion a people-focused theory of change for building capacity to use research evidence amongst policy makers in southern Africa.