The center for research.
The Science of Social Good:
Research, Policy, Action.
Utafiti is the Kiswahili word for research. Utafiti+ is the Institute's research and evidence-generation pillar. It identifies critical data and evidence gaps and commissions research that responds to Africa's social policy and social protection priorities.
Through commissioned studies, research partnerships and grants, Utafiti+ supports the generation of locally relevant knowledge and invests in emerging African researchers, including PhD students working across social policy and social protection disciplines.
The “plus” reflects our commitment to research that goes beyond publication. We connect academic rigor with practical experience, implementation knowledge and lived realities to produce evidence that can inform decisions, strengthen programmes and improve policy and practice.
Utafiti+ ensures that African social policy questions are not only studied, but studied through African perspectives and translated into knowledge that can be used.
What Utafiti+ Delivers
What Utafiti+ Provides
- African-led research agendas
- Identification of evidence gaps
- Commissioned research
- Research grants
- Experiential and practitioner knowledge
- Actionable research
What It Makes Possible
- Research that responds to the continent's priorities and knowledge needs.
- Greater attention to critical questions that remain underexplored or poorly understood.
- Timely evidence on emerging policy, programme and implementation challenges.
- Opportunities for PhD students and emerging scholars to advance social policy and social protection knowledge.
- A fuller understanding of how policies and programmes operate in real contexts.
- Evidence that can inform decisions, strengthen programmes and improve policy and practice.