2022 Africa Evidence Summit

EASST Fellow Samuel Oti presenting at the 2022 Africa Evidence Summit. Credit: Laurent Rusanganwa

About the Conference

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) held its 10th Annual Africa Evidence Summit in Kigali, Rwanda on June 29-30, 2022. The summit is an annual gathering that brings together our network of East and West African scholars, U.S.-based faculty, policymakers, and practitioners to disseminate the latest research findings from the region and forge new connections. We were delighted to partner with the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers in Africa (NIERA), the University of Rwanda (UR), and CEGA’s Digital Credit Observatory (DCO) to host this event.

CEGA’s Global Networks program launched in 2011 with our flagship program, the East Africa Social Science Translation (EASST) Collaborative. EASST has built a robust network of talented East African scholars conducting rigorous impact evaluations of social programs in the region, who established NIERA in 2018. In 2019, CEGA expanded to begin working in West Africa, together with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) on Development Impact West Africa (DIWA). For our 10th Annual Summit, we were delighted to bring these networks together and showcase evidence on East and West Africa from leading researchers.

Agenda and Summit Recording

Please see the Summit agenda here. Speakers’ panel discussion or research topics are bolded, with their name and affiliation in italics below.

For those who were unable to attend in-person, kindly find the presentation recordings for Day 1 and Day 2.

Day 1: Wednesday, June 29th

Opening Remarks

Carson Christiano, CEGA | Slides

Spotlight on Living Standards and COVID-19: Evidence from Nine Countries

Edward Miguel, UC Berkeley | Slides

Session 1: COVID-19 and Development

Keeping the Lights on during a Pandemic: COVID-19 and Electricity Demand in Ghana and Rwanda

Aimable Nsabimana, University of Rwanda | Slides

Evaluation of a National Program to Distribute Free Face Masks for COVID-19 Prevention in Uganda

Ronald Mulebeke, Makerere University School of Public Health | Slides

Tracking the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity, Distribution, and Cases in the Global South

Tigist Mekonnen, World Bank Group

The Director-General of the World Health Organization shared that 1 in 4 people are vaccinated against COVID-19 in high income countries (HICs) compared to 1 in 500 vaccinated in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs).
This study tracks the COVID-19 vaccination eligibility, vaccination rates, cases, and deaths per 100,000 residents in 82 LMICs. This study applies an event study analysis to country-level data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center to examine the effects on vaccination rates in 82 LMICs December 2021 to June 2022.
Findings provide direction for governments, policymakers, and pharmaceutical companies on factors that contribute to the low uptake rate of the COVID-19 vaccine in LMICs for ongoing and future pandemics.

Session 2: Health and Well-Being

Evaluation of Integrated Primary Health Care Using Digital Platform in Rwanda

Jeanine Condo, The Center for Impact, Innovation & Capacity building for Health Information Systems & Nutrition | Slides

Stress May Increase Choice of Sooner Outcomes in Kenya, But Not Temporal Discounting?

Prachi Jain, Loyola Marymount University | Slides

Design and Impact Evaluation of a Digital Reproductive Health Program in Rwanda

Emmyson Gatare, Y-lab | Slides

A cluster randomized evaluation of Financial Inclusion for Sanitation and Health in Kenya and Uganda*

Samuel Muhula, Amref Health Africa | Slides

Panel: Collaboration for Inclusive Development Research (CIDR)

Panelists: Jane Mariara, Partnership for Economic Policy; Aimee Hare, J-PAL Africa; Fiona Moejes, Mawazo Institute; Christopher Chibwana, Hewlett Foundation; Anthony Mveyange, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR).

Moderators: Maya Ranganath, Center for Effective Global Action and Amos Njuguna, NIERA | Slides

Day 2: Thursday, June 30th

Introduction to Day 2

Jeanine Condo, The Center for Impact, Innovation and Capacity building for Health Information Systems and Nutrition

Economies of Scale for Research, Economies of Scope for Policy: Ghana Long-Term Panel Survey + Multi-Site Multi-Country Social Protection Evaluations

Dean Karlan, Northwestern University | Slides

Introducing the Demand Driven Research Initiative

Samuel Oti, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) | Slides

Parallel Research Session 1: Gender and Development

Interventions to Increase Agricultural Technology Adoption by Women in Kenya

Muthoni Ng’ang’a, Wilfrid Laurier University | Slides

Gender Norms and Digital Finance

Berber Kramer, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | Slides

It takes a village: Encouraging Women to Use Maternal Care through Community Involvement*

Aaron Abousi, University of Ghana | Slides

Increasing Women’s Participation in Community Driven Development Projects: Evidence from Kenya

Solomon Zena Walelign, International Center for Evaluation & Development | Slides

Parallel Research Session 2: Political Economy and Labor

Is Bayes’ Law or God’s Law Better for Caesar? An RCT in Ethiopia*

Dagim Belay, University of Copenhagen | Slides

Fabric of Federalism: The Impact of Litigant Rights’ Reform and Women Empowerment in Nigeria*

Oluwabunmi Adejumo, Obafemi Awolowo University | Slides

Improving the employability of University graduates: The Impact of HEST’s Internship Approach in Uganda

Kizito Omala, Makerere University | Slides

Session 3: Impacts of Digital Credit

The Impact of Digital Credit in Developing Economies: A Review of Recent Evidence

David Sungho Park, KDI School of Public Policy and Management | Slides

Welfare Impacts of Digital Credit: Results from a Randomized Evaluation in Nigeria

Suraj Nair, UC Berkeley | Slides

Financial Literacy and Women’s Financial Empowerment: Evidence from Uganda

Ester Agasha, Makerere University Business School | Slides

Exploring the use of Mobile Money Services among Tea SACCOs in Rwanda

Mercyline Kamande, Mount Kenya University | Slides

Impacts of Airtime Loans on Network Usage and Communications Expenditures in Haiti

Oscar Barriga-Cabanillas, World Bank Group | Slides

Parallel Research Session: Agriculture and Environment

The perfect marriage between conservation and development? A comparative study on livelihoods and deforestation in Tanzania

Mary Nantongo Gorret, Makerere University | Slides

The Impact of the Kenya 2008 Post-Election Violence on Rural Farm Households *

Laura Barasa, University of Nairobi | Slides

Appropriability of Returns to Training as a Barrier to Technology Adoption: Evidence from Burundi

Nicholas Swanson, UC Berkeley

Parallel Session: Data Privacy & Digital Financial Services: Towards Responsible Innovation

Featured Speakers: Said Rutabayiro Ngoga Division Head, Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA); Mutembesa Daniel, Artificial Intelligence Research Lab, Makerere University; Fred Otieno, IBM Research; Martin Gordon Mubangizi, UN Global Pulse Lab Kampala
Moderator: Sekou Remy, IBM Research

The ‘data revolution’ enabled by the widespread adoption of mobile phones has generated optimism about transforming financial services for the underserved, but privacy concerns are prominent given services’ increasing reliance on vast troves of personal data.
This panel session will offer perspectives on what privacy can mean, particularly in low- and middle-income country contexts, why it matters, and what is needed to deepen our understanding of how privacy-preserving practices may unlock further responsible innovation in financial systems and other digitized services.

Panel: Can Digital Credit Drive Effective Financial Inclusion?

Featured Speakers: Patrick Hitayezu, National Bank of Rwanda; James Ogada, Busara Center for Behavioral Research; Denise Ferris, BRAC

Moderator: Carson Christiano, Center for Effective Global Action

Digital credit products are expanding and evolving rapidly, presenting an opportunity to improve access to and the quality of financial services, including historically underserved populations. However, anecdotal evidence has raised concerns about over indebtedness, misrepresentation of terms, and even fraud.
This panel session will share research and suggest opportunities for policymakers, researchers, funders, and product providers to drive sustainable financial inclusion gains.
The discussion will span the lifecycle of a digital credit consumer, including factors driving demand, consumer protection measures that have been effective or are needed, and the usage and impact of digital credit among both men and women.

Poster Presentations

CEGA highlighted over 30 posters from both individuals and organizations in two different categories:

1) [Individual] Research Abstract: Posters showcased early-stage research or disseminated policy-relevant research.

2) [Individual or Organization] Programmatic Learnings and Opportunities: Individuals or organizations who have conducted capacity strengthening activities for African scholars showcased their successes and learnings. This included, but was not limited to curriculum development in evaluation methods, mentorship programs, short term trainings, inclusive journal policies, etc). This was also an opportunity for organizations to highlight relevant upcoming opportunities for African scholars.

Abstract from the posters can be found here.

COVID-19 Protocols

All COVID-19 protocols, as outlined by the Government of Rwanda, were respected. Guidelines were continuously updated according to current national protocols. Please note that the hotel required guests and event participants to be fully vaccinated.