Laterite

From data to policy
Laterite is an African firm specialized in research for social impact. We strive to carry out impactful research that helps decision-makers find solutions to complex development problems. Our approach is structured, data intensive and embedded in the local context.

We use rigorous and cutting-edge techniques to provide context-relevant evidence. Our multidisciplinary team combines technical excellence in quantitative and qualitative research with a deep understanding of the context to deliver high-quality data and insights.

Laterite was founded in Rwanda in 2010 and has since expanded across East and West Africa. As of 2023, we have offices in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. More information about our offices here.

OUR VISIONMaking an impact
We know that achieving impact doesn’t happen overnight. Our philosophy is that you need an excellent understanding of the local context to deliver sound advice that makes a difference. This requires building a local team, collecting high-quality primary data, understanding the context, and establishing close working relationships with key players. As a result, we only conduct research where we have a local presence.

WHAT DRIVES US?Transforming research
Laterite strives to make development research more rigorous and impactful. We are proudly anti-disciplinary, borrowing research techniques from econometrics as well as other fields. Our goal is to use innovative research technologies and methodologies in our project work. All our insights are based on empirical evidence.

HOW DO WE WORK?Collaboration and learning
We believe that working together and building the capacity of our teams and the organizations we work with is the best way to deliver high-quality research. We bring this collaborative spirit to our own teams: our research and data professionals work in the same offices, combining the ability to collect and process data with policy thinking and analysis. This synergy between our teams and our offices is one of our biggest assets.
Our strengths

Local knowledge
To deliver useful insights, you need to understand the context. That’s why we only work in countries where we have an office.

Full-cycle support
We offer tested data collection systems, a large pool of enumerators, an expert research team and a thorough understanding of the countries where we work.

Focus on quality
At Laterite, we work to build quality control into every step of the research process.

Dignity first
The safety and dignity of participants comes first. We can advise our partners on how to adhere to local ethics and research permit requirements.
Our sectors

Education

Agriculture

Public health

Youth & livelihoods

Urbanization, climate & migration

Gender & social protection

More about our work

WHERE WE WORKLaterite has offices in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda.
We also have a support team based in the Netherlands.

Our data services

Large-scale surveys
Laterite can quickly mobilize a network of hundreds of enumerators, field coordinators and translators to implement quantitative data collection campaigns in East Africa.

In 2021, our enumerators spent almost 26,000 days in the field, conducting 80,000 interviews in 66,000 households using 98 surveys for projects in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya.

Laterite has experience with fieldwork in remote locations and in complex projects covering sensitive topics or involving at-risk populations.

Qualitative data collection
Our data team includes field supervisors specialized in qualitative data projects. We have led focus group discussions, key informant interviews and semi-structured interviews as the main research instrument, or to provide nuance to quantitative findings.

In addition to data collection, our team can transcribe, translate, code and analyze the data from qualitative research instruments.

Phone and SMS-based surveys
Laterite has the know-how, infrastructure and procedures in place to conduct full-scale data collection campaigns using phone surveys. In 2020, our team completed 20 remote data collection projects, most structured as high-frequency surveys, with multiple rounds.

Our team understands the implications of remote methodologies on sampling and survey instruments and we can advise on how to design, or adapt, research for this medium. We also have experience in developing and conducting SMS-based surveys and have successfully secured high-response rates using this methodology.

Complex data collection methods
We specialize in mixed-methods data collection involving multiple instruments and methodologies. Past projects have included anthropometric and biometric measurements, early childhood development assessments, classroom observations and student learning assessments, behavioral games, and environmental exposure monitoring.

Our research services

Data analysis
Laterite’s research team works with clients to extract value and knowledge from data. We draw on a range of analysis techniques from different disciplines, including econometrics, data science, economic complexity, network theory, biology and engineering.

We strive to innovate with every opportunity. We also put a strong emphasis on ensuring that our research is fit for purpose, timely and pertinent for our clients.

Program evaluations
We specialize in program evaluation techniques, with a focus on ensuring practical and actionable insights for our clients, ideally during and not only after the end of an intervention. Our approaches may include rigorous experiments, quasi-experiments, tracer studies or process evaluations. We always prefer mixed-method approaches.

Laterite has conducted or contributed to the design and analysis of impact evaluations across East and West Africa, covering gender, education, teacher training, gender-based violence, cash transfers, poverty reduction and agriculture support programs.

Monitoring and Evaluation diagnostics
Our diagnostic tool was designed to help our partners improve their Monitoring and Evaluation systems and use them efficiently to extend their impact.
Grounded in our experience in research design, data collection and analysis, our diagnostics tool can strengthen the understanding of matters such as: program participation and selection criteria; theories of change; gender inclusive approaches; operational plans; capacity building strategies.

Learning partnerships
We build long-term learning and research advisory partnerships with development organizations, NGOs, social enterprises, and government agencies. As a learning partner, Laterite supports organizations to design learning strategies that directly feed into their operations. Laterite can support the design of research and evaluation projects; train research teams in all stages of the monitoring, evaluation and learning cycle; and provide additional research capabilities where needed.

Landscape mapping
Laterite provides detailed, in-depth analysis based on desk research, complemented with key stakeholder interviews, focus groups and/or quantitative surveys. We have prepared landscape mapping reports (e.g. on the education system in Ethiopia, on social inclusion assessments in Rwanda) that have helped large NGOs and governmental officials steer future programs and interventions.
Analytics Services

Predictive analytics and modeling
We use predictive analytic and modeling techniques to, for example, define target populations, extract insights from unseen data, extrapolate findings or plan ahead.

Some of the techniques we have used include: machine vision techniques to estimate coffee tree yields, Markov chain models to predict the evolution of education systems, gravity models to identify infrastructure gaps in Rwanda’s economic geography and economic complexity models to study the latent trajectory of economies.

Geospatial data
Laterite deploys geospatial data, such as terrain, climate, population composition and density, nightlights, distances from roads and urban centers, the vegetation index, to augment insights from survey data.

Adding insights from geospatial data brings two advantages: it strengthens the insights from econometric analysis and allows for those insights to be geographically contextualized. This, in our experience, leads to high quality spatial predictions on development-related indicators.

AI tools to accelerate research
Designing and conducting survey research takes a lot of time. Some of that time is spent on technical and repetitive tasks, like coding a survey, cleaning data or coding qualitative data. Laterite has developed a set of tools to answer these challenges, using the latest AI technologies.

We are currently in alpha mode testing and you will soon be able to check out our first batch of tools. (Subscribe to our newsletter to stay tuned.)