We don’t just serve markets—we serve movements.
Established in 2018, the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) is a pan-African non-profit organisation whose mission is to advance decision-focused evaluations of development programs across Africa.
We are dedicated to enhancing lives and livelihoods through the promotion of evidence-informed policymaking. NIERA produces data and evidence grounded in community perspectives and local contexts, while also providing technical support to enable policymakers to consistently and responsibly apply this information. A core contributing factor to NIERA’s success thus far includes our collaborative, highly skilled and diverse membership with representation in 12 African countries.
Our members have extensive academic, research and development experience, including senior roles in multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organisations, international development banks, top ranked universities, and national governments. We work across and within sectors including but not limited to agriculture, health, education, livelihoods, finance, youth and gender.
To advance decision-focused evaluations of development programs across Africa.
To improve lives and advance inclusive and sustainable development in Africa.
In partnership with Utrecht University, SIPPA aims to scale the CIPA initiative and our demand-driven research approach by co-creating and implementing policy-relevant research that addresses specific and clearly defined evidence needs.
A partnership with the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), the collaborative study aims to examine the extent of inclusion of African scholars in global development research. It seeks to better understand the obstacles and opportunities for meaningful engagement of African researchers, with a view to developing initiatives that enhance inclusivity. The anticipated outcome of this resource is to encourage equitable and sustainable partnerships between global south and global north researchers, while also contributing to discussions around evidence translation for policy impact.
CIPA was a joint initiative between Utrecht University’s Centre for Global Challenges and NIERA. The project was developed in response to evidence highlighting the limited technical capacity among Global South academics to conduct impact evaluations (IE) that inform public policy, as well as broader capacity gaps on both the demand and supply sides of IE in Africa.
Over a two-year period, the program equipped a new generation of 214 African researchers and policymakers with a strong foundation in rigorous IE methodologies and their practical application in policymaking. The initiative engaged 12 fellows who collaboratively developed 12 impact evaluation curricula for integration into programs at 10 academic and 2 research institutions across Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. CIPA also fostered continuous peer-to-peer learning among fellows, contributing to a vibrant and supportive learning community.
Through DDRI which is characterized by its responsiveness to the needs and priorities of stakeholders, NIERA has supported the development and implementation of six policy-relevant research projects co-created with stakeholders to respond directly to the evidence needs of decision-makers.
These projects addressed diverse but critical challenges across five African countries, including evaluating innovative financial tools to reduce problem gambling among youth in Kenya and Uganda, assessing the effectiveness of Uganda’s Parish Development Model in reducing urban poverty, exploring pathways to enhance youth employment in Kenya’s creative sector and examining the uptake and impact of HIV self-testing in Kenya and Tanzania. Other studies are currently investigating the effectiveness of community-based health insurance schemes in Ethiopia, and the operational and policy implications of transitioning to from 10-dose to 5-dose measles-rubella vaccines in Kenya.
Members
Research Studies
African Countries Represented
Partner Institutions Represented
Ensuring access to safe water, sanitation, and sustainable infrastructure.
Addressing the needs of displaced populations through protection, resilience, and durable solutions.
Empowering marginalized groups through inclusive policies and programs.
Expanding opportunities for young people through skills development, innovation, and inclusive policies.
Strengthening governance, transparency, and institutional accountability.
Established in 2018, the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA) is a pan-African non-profit organisation whose mission is to advance decision-focused evaluations of development programs across Africa.
NIERA’s leadership team of African researchers drives our mission to improve wellbeing through expert evaluation of social and economic development programs.
Meet Our Team
