Despite Kaduna State’s efforts to strengthen social protection through digital identification, many vulnerable residents still lack formal IDs and access to basic services. To address this, the Kaduna State Residents’ Identity Management Agency (KADRIMA) has...

Despite reforms to simplify taxation for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Benin, such as the creation of a Synthetic Professional Tax, compliance and revenue mobilization remain low. Many MSEs cite high transaction costs and limited access to tax offices...

In Tanzania, pensioners must undergo in-person verification every six months - a process that is often costly, inefficient, and burdensome, particularly for those in rural areas. Additionally, informal sector workers who make up a large share of the workforce...

This project supports the Senegalese tax administration (DGID) in strengthening taxpayer identification and integrating unique identifiers across administrative systems. Although Senegal has a national ID system, incomplete data, such as missing tax IDs and...

Currently, many Health Extension Workers (HEWs) in rural Ethiopia face challenges accessing their payments due to limited financial infrastructure and long distances to financial service centers, which negatively impacts job satisfaction, retention, and...

This project evaluates how linking mobile money to formal savings accounts can enhance financial inclusion and economic outcomes for women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire’s small-scale agri-processing sector. Despite their vital role in local economies, many...

Currently, cash transfers for social protection programs in Senegal are distributed through a network of post offices. Still, challenges such as accessibility, long travel distances, and outdated beneficiary data hinder the program's effectiveness. This...

This project examines the adoption of the biometric Ghana Card among low-income and marginalized populations, with particular attention to gender and structural barriers that affect registration. The research aims to understand the social, logistical, and...

This project explores the potential of digitizing cocoa payments in Ghana through a system that integrates mobile money and biometric cards, in partnership with COCOBOD and licensed buying companies. The initiative aims to address delays, security risks, and...

This project examines whether digitizing community water payments can improve service delivery and resource management in rural Ghana. In partnership with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, researchers are testing the use of Smart Taps, digital water...

This project investigates how digital identification can help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Uganda formalize their operations and expand access to business opportunities. In collaboration with the National Information Technology Authority...

This project explores how digital and flexible payment options can increase enrollment in Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), with a focus on informal sector workers in Edo State. The research aims to identify barriers to participation in the...

This project examines how digital public finance systems, particularly Nigeria’s Treasury Single Account (TSA), can enhance tax collection, transparency, and fiscal management at the state level. Although the TSA is well established federally, adoption across...

This project investigates how biometric tracking can reduce health worker absenteeism and strengthen service delivery in rural Nigeria. Targeting primary health centers across Kogi State, the research aims to assess the feasibility of using fingerprint...

This proposal seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of an "e-wallet" scheme designed by the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) to assist households in saving for their annual health insurance premiums. The e-wallet is a mobile phone-based application that...

This proposal investigates whether digitization can enhance the synergies between urban service delivery and local revenue mobilization in The Gambia, with a focus on the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC). KMC is undergoing reforms to digitize its waste...

This project explores how digital financial services can be made more inclusive for marginalized groups in Ethiopia, particularly women and beneficiaries of the Urban Productive Safety Net program. Despite growing access to mobile money, adoption among low...

This project explores how biometric attendance systems can reduce absenteeism among teachers and students in rural Nigerian schools and improve learning outcomes. Centered on primary schools in Osun State, the proposed intervention involves using fingerprint...

This project examines how digitizing business-to-business (B2B) payments can influence supply chains and local economies among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural Ghana, where the broader impacts of digital finance remain under explored...

Mobile money services have expanded rapidly in Tanzania.However, women continue to use them less frequently, particularly for saving and business purposes. To examine whether digitizing loan repayments could increase adoption and promote women’s financial...

This project investigates how digital payment technologies affect business operations and employment relationships in Dakar’s informal taxi sector. In partnership with Wave, a leading mobile money provider, researchers introduced QR code–based digital payments...

This project investigates how Ghana’s new biometric ID (Ghana Card) can improve household welfare by expanding access to digital financial services and social protection programs. Partnering with the National Identification Authority (NIA), the research team...

This project assesses the potential of the i-AgriBroom app to improve smallholder farmers’ access to affordable and reliable agricultural inputs in Nigeria. The platform integrates digital identity verification, financial services, and group purchasing tools...

Despite the potential of mobile money to expand financial services to underserved populations, challenges on the supply side limit its effectiveness. This proposal aims to address these barriers by focusing on improving the liquidity of registered agents who...

Health insurance is a critical tool for managing healthcare costs and reducing economic vulnerability, yet informal sector workers who constitute a large portion of the workforce in developing economies often face significant barriers to accessing such...

This project evaluates how digitizing government-to-person (G2P) transfers can enhance social protection and household resilience in Togo. In partnership with the Government of Togo, researchers are studying the Novissi program, which delivers mobile money...

Health worker absenteeism poses a major challenge to Uganda’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals and undermines public confidence in the healthcare system, especially during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with the Prime...

This project examines how Senegal’s mobile tax payment platform (m-tax) can strengthen tax compliance among informal small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As part of the government’s ongoing digital tax reforms, researchers conducted a formative study...

This project examines how increasing competition in mobile money markets can influence financial inclusion, innovation, and service quality. In partnership with Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), researchers are testing a randomized expansion of its mobile wallet...

This pilot study seeks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of mobile money–based renewals for Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Researchers will test different reminder systems to identify the most effective way to encourage timely...

This project examines how to boost mobile banking adoption among rural communities with limited access to formal financial services. In partnership with a major Ghanaian bank and mobile network operator, researchers worked with 115 microfinance groups to test...

The informal sector accounts for around 80 percent of Gambia’s economy, making direct taxation of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses difficult. This project proposes a randomized evaluation to assess the impact of mobile money accounts, combined with...

This project examines how digital payment systems can reduce transaction costs and support the formalization of small businesses in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. In partnership with Wave, a leading mobile money provider, the research focuses on developing and...

This project investigates the barriers to digital ID enrollment among rural populations in Nigeria and explores how improved access to identification can advance financial inclusion. Focusing on the National Identification Number (NIN) program, the research...

In Ghana, old-age pensions are essential for social protection, yet coverage remains limited among informal workers due to challenges in collecting regular contributions and widespread mistrust in pension schemes. This randomized evaluation tests whether...

This project explores whether formalizing informal labor taxes can make local taxation fairer and improve access to public services. In Kasai Central, Democratic Republic of Congo, citizens traditionally contribute unpaid labor, known as salongo, to maintain...

This project evaluates how mobile money transfers can enhance household resilience and support safe behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. In collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), researchers delivered eight rounds of unconditional...

This project evaluates the impact of Universal Basic Income (UBI) on household resilience during economic crises, in the context of Kenya’s COVID-19 pandemic.. In collaboration with GiveDirectly and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), researchers implemented...

This project investigates the impact of salary payment frequency on the financial behavior and resilience of Ghanaian civil servants. As one of the first studies to explore payment frequency in the public sector, this research aims to test whether more...

This project explores how digitizing informal labor taxes can enhance fairness and accountability in local governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In partnership with the Kasai Central provincial government, researchers are testing a biometric...

This project explores whether digitizing Rwanda’s agricultural input value chain can improve smallholder farmers’ access to credit. In collaboration with the Rwandan Agricultural Board, the research aims to enhance the government’s Smart Nkunganire System (SNS...

This project investigates how biometric identification can improve payroll integrity and reduce absenteeism in Ethiopia’s public sector. The research aims to assess the feasibility of linking biometric attendance systems with payroll databases to enhance...

This project supports the Government of Malawi in integrating its national digital ID system with social protection programs and administrative databases to strengthen service delivery and improve coordination across agencies. In partnership with the National...

This project explores how digitizing local tax systems can improve transparency, efficiency, and revenue collection in Northern Uganda. In partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the research...

This project partners with the Senegalese tax administration to evaluate the introduction of a modernized property tax system in Dakar. The reform integrates geolocated cadastral data with taxpayer information, supported by a new data management application...