Research & Insights · Research & methods

Research & methods

Explore essays and reflections on research & methods, grounded in African realities and open to new questions.

30 July 2026

How problems become problems

Recognition, diagnosis and the roots we refuse to uproot. Every development intervention begins long before the first dollar is spent. It begins long before the baseline survey,…

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Research & methods

29 July 2026

What transforms understanding into recognised knowledge?

Understanding, legitimacy and the politics of recognition. I never doubted the value of expertise. Throughout my career I have worked with economists, engineers, statisticians,…

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Research & methods

19 November 2025

What if our data lies? African feminist methods for researching the invisible

What if our most trusted research methods are not just flawed, but actively harmful? What happens when the very tools we use to understand poverty and work systematically erase…

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Research & methods

18 November 2025

Research that misses everything that matters

What happens when our research documents women's empowerment while systematically erasing their oppression? My first consultancy assignment taught me how research can miss every…

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Research & methods

15 November 2025

When research becomes violence

What is the purpose of research? Is it to generate academic publications? Is it to catalogue problems? Or is it to create wish lists for donors? We must think carefully about th…

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Research & methods

12 November 2025

Beyond the data: Research methods that understand women's lives

A few years ago, I was privileged to evaluate a women’s economic empowerment programme. I will never forget Adanna's face when she handed in her loan repayment. For months, she…

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Research & methods

27 October 2025

Can policy analysis advance gender equality in Africa?

My practical work in gender equality started at a community level. I saw a well-intentioned agricultural programme fail. It aimed to boost harvests, but by giving land titles on…

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Research & methods

18 August 2024

Exploring work prospects for young people in a global village

Welcome to our latest post in the series aimed at preparing young professionals for the evolving work landscape. Previously, we explored mismatches between education and job mar…

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Research & methods

12 April 2024

Why humans are often the weakest link in cybersecurity

Humans frequently represent the weakest link in cybersecurity due to their capacity for error and unpredictable behavior. Unlike software, which undergoes rigorous testing and i…

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Research & methods

26 November 2023

Sustainable Transport: The Keystone of Global Development Goals

Have you ever considered how the simple act of commuting impacts global poverty, education, and health? How does our daily travel influence the lives of those in the remotest pa…

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Research & methods

15 November 2023

A corroded pipe, a polluted stream, and the quest for genuine equality

Are we addressing symptoms or root causes? The under-representation of women in pivotal areas such as leadership, decision-making, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, an…

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