Improving health outcomes by strengthening healthcare access and delivery.
Enhancing access and quality of education for equitable learning outcomes.
Supporting sustainable practices to boost productivity and food security.
Advancing financial inclusion and economic empowerment.
Evaluating social programs that reduce poverty and build resilience.
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.
Members
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.
Expanding opportunities for young people through skills development, innovation, and inclusive policies.
Our Pillars of Impact
NIERA is focused on building strong governance, ensuring long-term sustainability, and fostering growth through expanded membership and improved institutional capacity—positioning the network as a leading hub for demand-driven evaluation research in Africa.
Through collaboration with local teams, NIERA co-creates and disseminates research via virtual platforms and tailored communication. The strategy emphasizes country-led and regional policy engagement, shared learning, and inclusive science communication that reaches diverse audiences.
Research efforts are designed to respond directly to the evidence needs of African policymakers, using multidisciplinary, country- and region-focused approaches to generate actionable insights that inform decision-making.
NIERA enhances research capacity and evidence uptake by equipping policymakers, media, donors, researchers, and practitioners with technical skills through modern, accessible training models. The approach prioritizes effective knowledge sharing, utilization, and management to benefit both key audiences and the broader research community.
Join our team and contribute to shaping Africa’s development future.
Explore opportunities to gain hands-on experience and advance your career.
Submit your ideas to drive impactful development projects and research.
NIERA’s leadership team of African researchers drives our mission to improve wellbeing through expert evaluation of social and economic development programs.
NIERA was hosted by the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), providing an institutional home that supported its growth and solidified its presence as a leading pan-African network for impact evaluation.
NIERA was formally established by alumni of the Center for Effective Global Action’s EASST Collaborative fellowship. It was created as a platform for fellows to fulfill their post-fellowship mandate—to advance rigorous, decision-focused evaluation and evidence use for social and economic development in their countries.
The idea for NIERA took shape during a special session at the EASST Summit (now the Africa Evidence Summit) in Addis Ababa. Sparked by conversations among three EASST fellows, the vision for a network of African impact evaluation experts was unanimously supported by participants.
Strengthening governance, transparency, and institutional accountability.
Designing and evaluating strategies that lift communities out of poverty and promote economic inclusion.
Promoting clean energy solutions and environmental sustainability.
Research Studies
African Countries Represented
Partner Institutions Represented
To advance decision-focused evaluations of development programs across Africa.
To improve lives and advance inclusive and sustainable development in Africa.
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.
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The Global Impact Evaluation Forum (2024), co-hosted by UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) at the UN Headquarters in New York provided a platform for discussing critical themes in the use of impact evaluation to inform decisions and policies.
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We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Collaboration for Inclusive Development Research (CIDR), a new initiative co-led by CEGA and the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA).
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The training targeted policy makers and public policy practitioners with an aim of guiding them on how to develop policies and use impact evaluation to enforce the policies.
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