More Insights Archive

Africa is not a country, but what if we made it one? Channeling African similarities for comprehensive solutions.

Growing up in Nigeria, I vividly remember how we would get beaten for incorrectly listing the seven continents of the world in our elementary Social Studies classes. One was not…

There’s a “we” in Nairobi Evidence Week. Creating resilience in evidence based policy through collaboration.

People who work to translate research evidence into effective policy have long critiqued the yawning chasm that separates the research and policy worlds. On one side of the chasm are…

A land called localization: understanding the gap between theory and practice of implementing food loss and waste solutions in the Global South.

We bring ourselves to language. A big part of the way a word is understood is the people and context within which it is used. If you talk about the…

The work is not done: creating new paths to an equitable world in uncertain times

There are many valid perspectives from which to criticise the development sector. A lot of the work in the space, for example, fails to achieve the intended expectations. One could…

Buttons, boxes, and biases: The illusion and desire for control

Have you ever found yourself desperately pressing the "close door" button in an elevator, convinced that your actions are speeding up the process? If so, you’ve experienced the illusion of…

Unlocking community agency: Behavioural insights from Spark Microgrant’s Facilitated Collective Action Process

In post independent Kenya, Harambee which translates to ‘let's pull together’ became a symbol of unity, transcending divisions, defining the African philosophy of generosity and ‘togetherness’. This African philosophy is…

Bringing the economy closer to home. Using urban exploration to unlock economic opportunities for underserved communities in Nairobi

Plato’s allegory of the cave from his work Republic asks us to imagine a group of prisoners chained in a cave whose only view of the outside world is a…