Pushing the boundaries on evidence-based policy-making in West and North Africa

In 2024, together with our partners, we’ve laid the foundation to push the boundaries on evidence-based policy-making in the West and North Africa region.  We have deepened our relationships with government partners, made investments to strengthen our methodological expertise, partnered with education institutions to strengthen local talent, and developed open-source tools to lower barriers to evidence use.

A core objective of our work is to support funders and implementers in understanding the cost-effectiveness and impact of their programs. We right-fit our methodology to serve our partners’ specific needs and questions. In 2024, we concluded multi-year rigorous impact evaluations to inform strategic decisions. We evaluated the impact of improved chicken breeds on the livelihoods of rural, poor, and smallholder farmers to determine whether raising chickens could be an impactful pathway out of poverty. We also studied a competitive crop storage financing program in Senegal to assess the impact of improved storage on farmer harvest incomes. Insights from our work have guided strategic (dis)investment and program-level decision-making.

Many of our current partners in West and North Africa are on the cusp of scaling their programs. As they plan to expand their reach, we have supported leaders in building solid foundations for achieving impact at scale. Using our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Advisory (MELA) Toolkit, we have empowered organizations at various stages on their evidence journey to build strong learning cultures. We have actively supported regional leaders in the health and education sectors to prioritize evidence-generating activities and structure M&E frameworks that will enable and support their scaling ambitions. We’re deeply grateful to dedicated funders, such as Cartier Philanthropy, the Fonds d’Innovation pour le Développement, and the Dovetail Impact Foundation, who have supported this impactful work. 

We’ve deepened our relationships with governments in the region to strengthen service delivery. In Senegal, we’re designing and implementing a learning agenda for Millenium Challenge Account 2 – a $600M investment into Senegal’s electric grid to spur economic growth. In Morocco, we’re working with the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) of the Ministry of Interior to conduct large-scale national surveys and to set up robust measurement systems to inform grass-root level resource allocations. These evidence tools will provide deep, actionable insights to guide nationwide budget allocation, policy-making, and program design.

There is an increasing demand for data and evidence in West and North Africa, creating a need to strengthen the talent pool in the evaluation sector. Students must be equipped with the skills to collect, analyze, and assess data for meaningful impact. To address this, we’re partnering with education institutions like INSEA and FGSES in Morocco – creating targeted training programs, fostering mentorship opportunities, and providing internships that bridge the gap between academic learning and practical application. We are building a robust pipeline of qualified professionals who will shape the future of evaluation and help organizations effectively measure their impact.

Looking ahead, we’re optimistic that IDinsight’s unique combination of expertise across policy advisory, measurement and evaluation, data systems, and data science is well placed to support the evidence needs of social sector leaders in West and North Africa. We’re working to bring in a new Regional Director who will enable us to deepen our relationships and broaden our network of funders and partners.

We’re deeply grateful for your support and trust and remain committed to the region’s steady advancement towards evidence-based decision-making.

Sincerely,

On behalf of IDinsight’s West and North Africa Region