Harnessing the power of needs assessments in African countries Needs assessments are some of the most under-rated and underutilized resources in African countries.  Development agencies that often start some work in communities with a baseline study often do so for purposes of getting donor money as opposed to fully informing...Read more

In much of the world including developing countries, COVID19 has re- positioned communication as the key driver in project implementation. Before the pandemic many organizations were reluctant to increase the communication budget. Working from home and restrictions in movement have seen ICT channels and tools moving to the centre of...Read more

How African farmers are dealing with bad news brought by COVID19 From the Masaai livestock owners in Kenya failing to access veterinary products to farmers in Lupane district of Zimbabwe failing to access usual markets due to lockdowns, COVID19 has resulted in uniform collective grief among food producers across Africa....Read more

Building appetite for empirical guidance in developing countries Besides health-related statistics like COVID19 cases, number of those recovering and number of the deceased, most countries lack data and statistics related to how the pandemic has impacted the economy. Without significant appetite for empirical evidence and guidance, it is difficult for...Read more

To what extent should African agriculture continue to be extension-driven? In much of Africa there is an age-old assumption that agriculture has to be driven by extension. This is visible in how much of the support from governments and development agencies tend to focus mainly on production while neglecting other...Read more

Some deeper questions COVID19 is inviting African countries to answer The COVID19 pandemic continues to invite developing countries to consider both hard and soft data when making decisions. Hard data refers to numbers and facts in addition to concrete statements that can be proven. Soft data refers to people’s feelings...Read more