Field Research Experience in Africa

[pt 🇧🇷 in the comments] At the end of February, I had one of the experiences I was most looking forward to during my master's year - a field research trip to Cape Town, South Africa, to understand how social enterprises drive meaningful impact to fight inequality and social injustice. The organisation I chose to work with was Edunova_SA, a social business operating in Langa that tackles youth unemployment through digital skills. Almost 7 months of collaboration with them, here are 4 of my key insights from what I learned from in field: 1. Legitimacy is not claimed, it’s build. It doesn't matter how many numbers a social enterprise can cite in its pitch — if the community doesn't believe in what you're doing, that work will hardly sustain itself. Legitimacy is built through representation, through community bonds, and above all, through time. 2.  “If you want to go far, go together" — and why ecosystem building matters. Other social actors operating in the same context as you are, will probably be navigating similar complexities. As social entrepreneurs — and I say this from personal experience — we often get swallowed by the dynamics of our own business and forget to build external networks that hold a high potential to combine different expertise, resources, and tools toward the same benefit. It's the cultivation of this ecosystem that enables real systemic change to happen. 3. Yes, we can do good and do well. Systemic change takes time. Building a sustainable business model means pursuing scale, yes, but the most courageous social impact models are not measured by how many people you reach. They're measured by how deeply you actually change people’s lives through the work / service / product you provide. And that kind of depth doesn't happen overnight. 4. The invisible speaks louder than the visible. And this has everything to do with race. As long as we only treat the symptoms of racism — poverty, unemployment, lack of economic inclusion — without actually addressing racism itself, we will not move forward. It was impossible not to observe the racial and social dynamics of a country that only recently overcame apartheid. The courage with which Edunova faces this — from the language used in specific spaces to the content brought into training — is inspiring, and it is one of the fundamental pillars of everything they do. Thank you Ziphelele and Dietrich for your trust in our work. The time we spent together was extremely inspiring and changed my life. To my dear group colleagues Yewande, Katerina, Jakob and Aisyah thank you for raising the bar of what meaningful academic work can look like. Professor Kerryn, the best professors I've met in my life didn't give me answers. They gave me better questions. Thank you for being one of them, and for doing it so generously.

What I’ve Learned Working in Africa After spending significant time working across the African continent, I’ve learned that success here is less about applying a one-size-fits-all approach and more about humility, adaptability, and deep engagement. Here are some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned—many through experience, and others through the wisdom of those who’ve been here even longer than I have: 1. You are a guest in the country you're working in. Respect that privilege, and embrace everything that comes with it—cultural norms, history, and traditions. 2. Africa is a continent, not a country. Every nation has its own unique nuances, cultures, ways of working, and rhythms of life. Take time to understand and respect these differences. 3. Lead from the front. Don’t expect others to do what you wouldn’t. Earn trust by showing, not just telling. 4. Direct confrontation is not the cultural norm in many workplaces. Build a culture that encourages healthy feedback and open dialogue—with patience and consistency. 5. Communication at all levels is essential. Avoid creating a divide between “locals” and “expats.” A shared mission requires shared understanding. 6. Learn the local language—even just a few words. Eat the food, attend local events, and genuinely engage. It shows respect and helps build real connections. 7. Patience and perseverance are non-negotiable. Bureaucracy, logistics, and timelines can be unpredictable. Resilience pays off. 8. Shortcuts and 'backhands' may seem tempting—but they’re corrosive. Integrity, even when slower, builds stronger foundations. 9. Take time to explore. The history, natural beauty, and cultural diversity of Africa are incredible. Don’t miss it. 10. Relationships matter. Networking is not just useful—it’s critical. Trust and personal relationships often drive business more than formal processes. 11. Language matters in more ways than you think. A brand message in English doesn’t always land the same in Swahili, French, or local dialects. Understand the context behind the words. 12. Get out of the office. Walk the market. Speak to customers, consumers, and communities. That’s where the real insight lies. 13. People come before process. Investing in people—through training, mentorship, and empowerment—often yields the biggest return. 14. Progress can be nonlinear. Celebrate small wins, adapt fast when plans shift, and keep your long-term vision steady. Africa challenges you, teaches you, and—if you’re open to it—transforms you. I’m grateful for the lessons, and even more excited for what’s ahead.

Part 2 Emic Evaluator: Is Data Collected by Local People Enough? Last week I posted an article on why researchers particularly those from the global north and PI within countries who do not go in the field to understand the context should understand the context to meaningfully analyse and write reports. In this article I share three more reasons. Rich Insights - Firsthand experience allows researchers to gather additional qualitative data, such as observations and informal conversations, which provide richer insights and complement quantitative data. My mental representation of the activities and beneficiaries I evaluate offers latent information that enriches the reports. In the photo below, I am in the heart of Mulanje district in Malawi, an area severely impacted by Cyclone Freddy. The cyclone's effects on Early Childhood Development (ECD) projects among seven different Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) were more devastating than I had imagined based on virtual interviews. Seeing the damage firsthand provided a much richer understanding for my report. Ethical Considerations - Being present in the context allows researchers to better understand and respect the cultural and social norms of the participants, leading to more ethical and respectful research practices. Universal ethical principles don’t always apply in every context. For instance, in my interactions with Maasai communities in Kenya, I learned that refusing to engage in certain activities, such as eating the food they prepared, could be seen as offensive and unwelcoming. Improved Communication - When reporting findings, researchers can provide more nuanced and detailed descriptions, making the results more compelling and easier to understand for various stakeholders. Rich descriptions are better aided by vivid mental pictures of the context. Without these mental images, we cannot fully create the physical representation. As Steven Covey argues in his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," “There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint.”

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to visit AI labs in Kenya, engaging with senior researchers, student innovators, and faculty members. It was inspiring to see the remarkable work being done despite limited resources, especially compute. One standout example is the Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAIL) at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, led by Prof. Ciira Maina. DSAIL is training the next generation of Kenyan responsible AI researchers, and the student research projects span AI for conservation, health, and the environment. For instance, Clinton Kuya, one of the student researchers, is developing a lightweight, cost-effective, AI-powered knee wearable device that records, stores, and visualizes patients’ knee flexion angles. The goal is to solve challenges orthopedic surgeons and physiotherapists face when using mechanical goniometers—devices that are often inaccurate, invasive, and difficult to use. Read more here - https://lnkd.in/gJhYuWbW Institutions like DSAIL play a critical role in building a “learning ecosystem” for young African AI researchers, creating spaces where they can explore contextually grounded ideas, access resources, mentorship and have the freedom to prototype, test, fail, and learn. Learn more about DSAIL’s work here - https://lnkd.in/gcqm_D_3 Kudos to the incredible support from the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Network and individuals like Prof. Neil Lawrence who provide the needed support for the lab. Image: Lorna Mugambi talking through her project of using machine learning to analyze echocardiograms to automate the process for diagnosing rheumatic heart disease. Read more here - https://lnkd.in/g3fxMmjm

Just wrapped up an insightful week in Uganda. During my time in the country, I had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders including Cafe Africa Uganda, NaCORI( National Crops Research Institute), Swisscontact Uganda, Volcafe (Kyaglani), Touton SA coffee in Uganda, Farmer organization and members to deepen my understanding of Uganda's coffee sector. These engagements also allowed me to explore opportunities to expand Rikolto 's work on delivering living income to smallholder cocoa and coffee farmers, affordable and nutritious food for all. One of the highlights of my visit was a field trip to Kapchorwa in the Eastern Uganda organised by Kyagalani, where we met with farmers in the Kabeywa Village. These interactions were not only rich in insights but also humbling. Here are few takeaways: 1. Strengthening the food crop market is critical in ensuring decent income for farmers. In the community farmers ( especially women) grow crops like cabbage, beans, plantain among others. However, due to limited market access, they often don't earn fair value for their produce. As one farmer shared " When we harvest our plantain, the only way to sell it is through motorbike riders who takes it to the market to sell and only return to us with any amount they want. we don't know how much they sell it and what is paid doesn't reflect our expectations. We need better markets that value our produce." 2. Fair and transparent purchasing practices are essential for coffee farmers in the community. Farmers currently sell fresh coffee cherries for about UGX 1,300/kg to middlemen, who resell them for UGX 2,500-3,000/Kg. There's a clear need to improve value distribution along the supply chain. 3. With the right support productivity per tree can increase significantly. Access to quality inputs, finance and professionalized labour services will be key for this. A farmer narrated " Before Kyagalani, we harvested less than 2kg per tree. Now, we are harvesting around 5kg/ tree and we are aiming for 20kg/tree, which is possible with the variety we have on our farms. We only need to invest in quality inputs, labour and farm sanitation." A very big thank you to the Volcafe team in Uganda for facilitating these interactions. I left inspired, with a deeper appreciation of the opportunities and responsibilities we have in building more inclusive and resilient coffee and cocoa sector in Uganda. #Coffee #LivingIncome #Foodsystems #Rikolto #Uganda #SustainableAgriculture #Vocal

Here's what I learned driving 3 Hours outside Nairobi every week: The best business lessons don't happen in boardrooms. Here are some field notes from Kenya's superfood Heartland. Every week, I drive beyond Nairobi to meet beekeepers and moringa farmers. I've learned that: 🤝 Trust is built in dust, not on Zoom calls 🐝 Climate patterns dictate harvest cycles more than any business plan 🍃 Especially this past year, Kenya's agriculture sector, its second largest economic generator, took a major hit due to climate change. And I've learned that Kenya's agricultural producers are innovators—adapting to drought, experimenting with organic methods, creating cooperatives without external funding. These field visits shape everything: our sourcing decisions, our pricing models, our quality benchmarks. Not to sound like a preachy old aunty, but I can't help myself, if you want to build sustainable supply chains in Africa, start by showing up. 👉🏾 Follow Lubembo Co. to see how African superfoods are moving from forest to global shelves. #KenyaAgriculture #FieldWork #NohemieandCo #SustainableSourcing #SupplyChainInnovation #lubembo #Superfoods #Africa #Agriculture

Fieldwork moments from Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮 Over the past days I have been in Abidjan and San Pedro with Paul Lassalle, conducting interviews with an inspiring group of women entrepreneurs as part of the ongoing research on women’s entrepreneurship and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems in West Africa. We have had the privilege of speaking with founders and leaders behind remarkable ventures. Each conversation revealed a different entrepreneurial journey, yet several common themes clearly emerged. First, the extraordinary resilience and determination these women demonstrate in building businesses despite structural barriers: limited access to finance, fragmented support infrastructures, and persistent gendered expectations. Second, the importance of mentorship and entrepreneurial support networks. Many founders emphasised how transformative guidance, role models, and peer communities can be in navigating early-stage uncertainty. Third, the central role of family support, often providing the emotional, social, and sometimes financial foundation that makes entrepreneurial risk possible. And finally, what stands out most is vision. These entrepreneurs are not simply creating businesses; they are imagining new possibilities for their industries, communities, and the next generation of women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire. Fieldwork like this is a powerful reminder that entrepreneurship research must remain closely connected to lived realities. Listening to these stories helps us rethink how entrepreneurial ecosystems can become more inclusive and supportive. More insights from this research coming soon. #WomenEntrepreneurs #EntrepreneurshipResearch #InclusiveEcosystems #CotedIvoire #Fieldwork #WomenInBusiness #ImpactEntrepreneurship

Despite the significant challenges facing African patients and health professionals, there are substantial opportunities for growth and innovation in African medical education. My decade of experience working with hundreds of African medical students and graduates, particularly through the Association of Future African Neurosurgeons, where we've supported over 50 research fellows to present and publish over 100 peer-reviewed papers, underscores this potential.  However, a critical barrier remains: the reluctance of many African medical schools to fully embrace collaborative research and mentorship. We have consistently encountered resistance from leadership when attempting to support fellows in transforming their theses into publishable manuscripts. This often results in supervisors claiming undue authorship, delaying feedback, and imposing archaic processes like mandatory physical manuscript submissions. Consequently, we have shifted our strategy, focusing on independent projects and securing travel scholarships for international conferences. This approach has proven highly effective in motivating and empowering our fellows. We have also adapted by prioritizing secondary data analysis, enabling us to achieve impactful research outcomes despite limited access to primary patient data. These challenges, while frustrating, present a unique opportunity for transformative change. For this to materialize, African medical school leadership must prioritize the development of physician-scientists. Specifically, medical schools should: * Implement structured systems to facilitate the conversion of theses into peer-reviewed publications, recognizing the thesis as a crucial first research experience. * Encourage students to explore research topics aligned with their interests, with guidance from supervisors. This may involve cross-disciplinary collaborations with other faculties and institutions, fostering innovation and robust methodologies. * Establish clear expectations and accountability for supervisors. The current lack of oversight is detrimental to student development. * Seek external mentorship and collaboration, leveraging the expertise of the African diaspora and international partners. * Implement systems to celebrate and reward supervisors who actively support early-career physician-scientists. By addressing these systemic issues, African medical schools can unlock the vast potential of their students and contribute significantly to advancing healthcare across the continent.

Every year, I try to get out to the field to get back in touch with that elusive concept in development discourse, the "reality"! This year, I visited our carbon pilot in Tanzania and planted my first "carbon trees" in a new intensive agroforestry system we're rolling out One Acre Fund. It was also great to be back in Iringa where I first interviewed 11 years ago and have visited across roles with WFP and Mercy Corps. It's a beautiful part of the world. As always, I learnt a lot. Some highlights: 1. Intensive agroforestry systems are popular with farmers once fully understood, but adoption issues remain. The planting systems are new, as is the concept of using trees for soil health (rather than timber), and, therefore, require deep training in the field. The farmer I met (Paulo; no picture because we hold a strict consent standard) mentioned that he wasn't familiar with planting trees in the middle of the field or in a regimented boundary system to support soil health, but he was willing to give it a go! 2. 1AF's new carbon officers (Salome in the pics) generally spend at least 1-2 days enrolling and 1-2 days supporting planting with each farmer on her patch. The extension work is laborious and time-consuming, with a 50/50 split of data collection time and planting support with farmers. 3. This hand-holding on-farm is really important. Salome and her supervisor Valentino meticulously spotted mistakes when planting (e.g., planting trees next to older, more mature trees or odd placement of boundaries). Staff training to make real-time technical adjustments in the field is key. 4. Huge distances and subpar infrastructure lead to many efficiency issues. We walked the last 30 mins to the farm due to no road access (after a 45 min drive on unpaved roads). The mobile network was non-existent. This decreases the field officer-to-farmer and supervisor ratios we can deploy and there is no digital silver bullet (we use digital enrolment with offline capabilities but it failed to sync - hence the "find a rock to stand on" technique to find network!). 5. Planting trees isn't easy! I gave it a go, and after digging 15 pits in thick clay-based soil, I had a few blisters and felt pretty tired. Maybe I'm getting soft ;), but the serious point is it took a team of 4 to plant approx 75 trees in half a day. This work is very laborious, and farmers often need to bring in outside labour. 6. Climate change is already impacting tree seedling survival rates. A few weeks ago, there was one day of rain, so the farmers and our staff deployed many seedlings in preparation for planting, expecting that it was the beginning of over a month of consistent rains. However, a two-week dry spell followed, leading to the immediate loss of 1,000s of seedlings. 7. All of the above is why this work is costly and takes time. Carbon prices need to be priced accordingly, and investors/donors should give us as much rope as possible. #Agroforestry #Carbon

I am currently in Omoro district, Northern Uganda, with my study team, collecting baseline data for our study evaluating the feasibility of community-led HIV self-testing for girls and young women in rural villages. One of our research assistants shared this picture while in the field, and I can't imagine how they access emergency healthcare, let alone basic social services! Rural communities are in danger of systemic exclusion, including by researchers. You can read more about what we are doing here: https://lnkd.in/dwNeRBFb #Research #CommunityHealth #HIVTesting #GlobalHealth #Uganda