Monitoring and evaluation firm for programmes across Africa
Household surveys, baselines, endlines, evaluations and third-party monitoring for UN agencies, development banks, donors and NGOs.
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.
PollsAfrica is run by Academic Support Services NG Ltd, based in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. We collect and analyse data so that programme teams and funders can see what changed, for whom and by how much. Our founder, Ayoola Jegede, is a PMP-certified programme leader and a member of WAPOR and AAPOR.
Who this is for
Questions we answer
- Where did your indicators stand at the start of the programme, and where do they stand now?
- Did the people you meant to reach receive the service, and how do they rate it?
- Did a reported activity happen as described, in the place and at the time stated?
- What do communities, service users and officials say explains the result?
- What do people think of a public service, a policy or a programme, and how does that differ by region, age and sex?
Public context for the countries we work in is on our country pages, for example Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. Our insight on who runs government and the Africa election calendar to 2027 help programme teams plan around political and electoral cycles. See also elections.
What we deliver
Services in depth
Timelines below are typical planning ranges. Each proposal confirms the schedule for your scope.
Household and sample surveys
We design the sample, build and translate the instrument, run fieldwork and deliver a weighted dataset with a codebook and a report. Samples can be national or limited to the districts a programme covers.
Deliverables. Sampling plan, instrument in each language, weighted dataset, codebook, methods note, report.
Timeline. Typically 4 to 8 weeks from signed contract to dataset, longer for face-to-face fieldwork across many districts.
Baselines, midlines and endlines
We measure the indicators in your results framework and build the design so later rounds compare cleanly: the same definitions, the same question wording and a documented sampling approach for every round.
Deliverables. Indicator table against the results framework, comparable datasets for each round, comparison note between rounds.
Timeline. Typically 6 to 10 weeks per round including inception and instrument sign-off.
Programme evaluations (mixed methods)
Survey data combined with key informant interviews and focus groups, so findings explain what changed and why. We work to the evaluation questions in your terms of reference.
Deliverables. Inception report, evaluation matrix, data collection tools, findings report with recommendations, anonymised transcripts.
Timeline. Typically 8 to 16 weeks depending on the number of sites and the depth of qualitative work.
Third-party monitoring and recurring data collection
Independent verification of activities and results on a schedule you set. Rounds use the same instrument and the same quality checks, and every round ends with a short report and a data quality log.
Deliverables. Round reports, a clean dataset per round, dashboard-ready files, data quality log.
Timeline. Set-up usually takes 3 to 5 weeks. After that each round follows the cycle agreed in the contract.
Opinion and perception surveys
Beneficiary satisfaction, accountability to affected populations, trust in services and public attitudes. Phone and web modes give fast turnaround, and face-to-face reaches people the phone does not.
Deliverables. Questionnaire, topline with exact wording, weighted dataset, brief analysis.
Timeline. A national phone survey typically runs 3 to 6 weeks from signed contract to topline.
Focus groups and key informant interviews
Local moderators run discussions and interviews in the language people use. We record with consent, transcribe and translate, and code transcripts to your framework.
Deliverables. Discussion guides, transcripts and translations, coded themes, summary report.
Timeline. Typically 3 to 6 weeks for fieldwork and transcripts, depending on the number of groups and locations.
Modes
We use phone interviews (CATI), web surveys (CAWI) or a mix of both, chosen to fit the population. Face-to-face interviews run through vetted field partners where phone coverage is weak, and qualitative work is led by local moderators. Mixed mode is our default for donor and evaluation work because it gives the best coverage. The methods page sets out each mode and its limits.
Sectors
Method and quality controls
Every instrument is reviewed by the country expert and piloted before fieldwork. Live checks flag speeding, straightlining, duplicate devices and location mismatch. Supervisors listen to a sample of calls, and a share of completed interviews is re-contacted as a back check. Data are weighted to the latest census by age, sex, region and urban or rural, and margins of error use the effective sample size. Read the full methods and the standards and corrections policy.
Data protection and ethics
Consent is recorded with time, channel, privacy notice version and country. We interview adults aged 18 and over; studies with minors go ahead only when the budget covers a full consent process. We do not collect ethnicity, religion or party affiliation unless an approved research need requires it and local law allows it. 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. The country expert guides ethics approval where a study needs it, and we take no work from political parties or candidates.
How we bid
Sole prime contractor
One firm accountable for the whole contract, from design to delivery.
Named country expert
A university expert from the country on every bid, with CV.
Vetted field partners
Local teams working under our data protection and anti-fraud terms.
Ethics by default
Adults 18 and over by default, with informed consent on every interview.
Each bid also carries a written approach, a team list and a budget that follows your terms of reference.
How a project runs
See each step and what you receive
How to engage
Send the terms of reference or a short brief through the brief form or write to research@pollsafrica.com. Download the capability statement (PDF) or read it on the capability statement page. Looking for commercial research instead? See research for business or the research hub. Want to put your own questions into our Nigeria survey waves? See add a question.
Frequently asked questions
Do you bid as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor?
We bid as sole prime contractor. One firm, Academic Support Services NG Ltd, is accountable for the contract, the data and the deliverables, so your contracting team deals with a single counterpart.
Who is the country expert named in a bid?
Each bid names a university expert from the country of the study, with a CV. That expert is a paid key expert who reviews the instrument, guides ethics approval and signs off the topline before release.
Can you run a baseline survey in Kenya or an endline evaluation in Nigeria?
Nigeria is our home market and fieldwork there runs from our Lagos base. Kenya and other countries are taken on through vetted local field partners who sign our data protection and anti-fraud annex before award. Each proposal sets out the partner arrangement for the country.
How do you keep rounds comparable between baseline and endline?
We keep indicator definitions, question wording and sampling documentation fixed across rounds, and we record any change with the reason. Weighted and unweighted counts are reported each time so a later team can reproduce the comparison.
How long does a typical study take?
A national phone survey typically runs 3 to 6 weeks from signed contract to topline. Baselines, evaluations and face-to-face studies take longer, and each proposal confirms the actual schedule for the scope you describe.
What do you need from us to price a study?
Send the terms of reference or a short brief: geography, target population, indicators or evaluation questions, number of rounds and preferred modes. We reply with an approach, a team and a budget.
Do you hold vendor registrations?
Yes. We are registered as a UN Global Marketplace vendor (1283542), hold an EU PIC ({EU_PIC}) and a World Bank vendor registration ({WORLD_BANK_VENDOR}). The details are in the registrations card on this page.