Survey research company in Africa
Tell us the country and the method. A scoped quote comes back within two working days.
Tell us what you need
Send a short brief and we reply with a scoped quote within two working days. Country and method are enough to start. If you are not sure of the rest, leave it empty and we will help you shape it.
UN agencies, the World Bank, the EU, the AU and NGOs
Surveys, baselines, evaluations and monitoring, bid as sole prime contractor with named university experts.
Development partnersConsultancies, telecoms, banks and consumer brands
Market, customer and brand research with fast multi-country delivery.
Business research Services and pricesA research and polling agency for Africa
PollsAfrica is a survey research company in Africa run by Academic Support Services NG Ltd, registered in Ikeja, Lagos. We design and run surveys, evaluations, monitoring and opinion polls, and we are also a polling company that publishes public data on who runs government and when Africa votes. The founder, Ayoola Jegede, is a member of WAPOR and AAPOR and a PMP.
As a research agency in Africa we keep the model simple. We contract as sole prime contractor, so one firm answers for the work. We use CATI, CAWI or mixed mode, and face-to-face interviewing through vetted field partners. On every study a named university expert from the country works with us as a paid key expert.
Services and modes
The same pipeline serves every service below. A national phone survey typically runs 3 to 6 weeks from signed contract to topline, and each proposal confirms the actual schedule.
Services
Three kinds of work, one field operation and one quality standard behind all of them.
Household and sample surveys
From sampling frame to weighted dataset and report.
Baselines, midlines and endlines
Indicator measurement designed so later rounds compare cleanly.
Monitoring and data collection
Recurring rounds and third-party monitoring.
Programme evaluations
Mixed methods: surveys, key informant interviews and focus groups.
Focus groups and interviews
Local moderators, transcripts and translation.
Opinion polling
National, non-partisan trackers on the economy and public services.
Market and consumer research
Segmentation, usage and attitudes, market entry.
Customer and brand tracking
Repeated waves with consistent questions.
Product and price testing
Concept tests and price sensitivity.
How a project runs
Every study follows the same path. You see progress live, and you sign off at each gate.
Brief
We agree the questions, the people to reach, the budget and the timeline.
You getScope and fixed quoteDesign
Sampling plan, questionnaire and analysis plan, translated where needed.
You getInstrument for sign-offPilot
A test run with real respondents to fix wording, timing and routing.
You getPilot reportFieldwork
Trained interviewers by phone, in person or online, tracked against quotas.
You getLive study dashboardQuality checks
Random back-checks, timing and location checks, duplicates removed.
You getData quality logWeighting
Results weighted to official population figures by age, sex and region.
You getWeighted datasetExpert sign-off
A named university expert in the country reviews method and findings.
You getSigned method noteDelivery
Report, tables, dataset and codebook, with a briefing call.
You getFinal deliverables
Phone interviewing (CATI) suits national samples and recurring waves. Online (CAWI) suits connected audiences and quick tests. Mixed mode reaches people who answer only one way. Face-to-face runs through vetted field partners where phone coverage is thin. Qualitative work uses local moderators, with transcripts and translation.
Choosing the right mode
CATI (phone) fits national samples of adults, recurring waves and tight deadlines. It is fast and supervisors can listen to calls, but it reaches only people with a phone and who will answer an unknown number, so weighting matters. CAWI (online) fits connected, mostly urban audiences, long questionnaires and concept tests with images. It is cheap and quick, but it skews young and educated, so we do not present it as a national sample. Face-to-face through vetted field partners fits rural populations, low phone coverage and long or sensitive interviews. It costs more and takes longer, and it needs strong field supervision. Qualitative work, meaning focus groups and depth interviews with local moderators, fits questions of why and how: motives, language, barriers. It explains numbers but does not replace them. Mixed mode combines these when one channel alone leaves a group out. We recommend the mode that fits the audience and the question, then say plainly what it can and cannot show.
What a proposal from us includes
- Objectives: the decisions the research must inform, restated so we agree before we price.
- Sample design: population, frame, sample size, stratification and the expected margin of error.
- Mode: the channel or mix, with the reasons for it.
- Instrument plan: questionnaire or guide, languages, translation and pilot.
- Quality plan: call listening, back-checks, automated checks, weighting and reporting standards.
- Timeline: a schedule from signed contract to topline, confirmed per project.
- Team: the project lead and the named university expert from the country, with their role.
- Budget: a clear price by phase, with what is and is not included.
- Data protection: the legal basis, consent wording, retention and handling of personal data.
The expert network
Every study has a named university expert from the country as a paid key expert. They review the instrument, guide ethics approval and sign off the topline. Their CV goes in the bid. It is how a Lagos firm brings local academic judgement to Kenya, Ghana or Uganda. Read more about the experts network.
Quality controls
We pilot before fieldwork. Supervisors listen to a sample of calls. We check for speeding, straightlining, and duplicate device and location records, and we back-check by re-contact. Data are weighted to the latest census by age, sex, region and urban or rural, and the margin of error is stated on the effective sample size. Every release states sponsor, dates, sample, mode, frame, weighting, margin of error and exact question wording. See methods and standards.
Where we work
Nigeria is our home market, and our phone sampling frame there runs to more than 11,000+ numbers. We publish sourced government and election pages for all 54 African countries, each fact linked to its source, and you can browse them on the countries page. See Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda, the elections calendar, and our insight on Africa elections 2027. We take on other countries case by case.
Ethics and data protection
We survey adults aged 18 and over, record consent with time, channel, notice version and country, and collect no ethnicity, religion or party data unless approved and lawful. We work under Nigeria's Data Protection Act 2023, Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019, Ghana's Data Protection Act 2012 (Act 843) and Uganda's Data Protection and Privacy Act 2019. Field partners sign a data protection and anti-fraud annex. We are non-partisan.
Start a conversation
Use the brief form or email research@pollsafrica.com with the question, the country, the audience and your timing.
Only need a few questions answered? Add a question to one of our Nigeria survey waves.
Working with PollsAfrica
What kind of organisation is PollsAfrica?
A survey research and polling agency run by Academic Support Services NG Ltd (RC 9416237), registered in Ikeja, Lagos. Founder Ayoola Jegede is a member of WAPOR and AAPOR and a PMP. We serve development partners and businesses.
How do we start a project with you?
Send a short brief with the form at the top of this page or to research@pollsafrica.com: the question, the country, the audience and the timing. We reply with a scoped proposal that confirms sample, mode, deliverables and schedule.
How long does a survey take?
A national phone survey typically runs 3 to 6 weeks from signed contract to topline. Face-to-face and multi-country work usually takes longer. Each proposal confirms the actual schedule.
Do you contract as prime or as a subcontractor?
We bid and contract as sole prime contractor, so one firm is accountable. A named university expert from the country joins every study as a paid key expert.
Do you run polls for political parties?
No. We are non-partisan and do no work for parties or candidates. Our opinion polling covers national questions such as the economy and public services.
Which countries can you work in?
Nigeria is our home market. We extend the same method to other African countries through vetted field partners and take on each new country case by case. Tell us the country in your brief.
Can you send documents for our procurement team?
Yes. Our capability statement lists registrations including UNGM vendor 1283542, EU PIC 861027485 and World Bank vendor registration VMP0010186. Download the PDF from this page.