In May 2011, InterMedia established an office in Nairobi, building on more than 15 years of experience in conducting high-quality, collaborative media and communication research and evaluation across the continent.
In the past 10 years, our dedicated research professionals completed 211 projects in 31 African countries from Morocco to Mozambique, working with a broad range of clients in challenging environments in international
development, government and media to navigate complex communication landscapes and shape
programme strategies and tactics.
Our InterMedia Africa team speaks multiple languages, including French, Arabic, Swahili, Somali and Urdu. They have expansive expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, and pride themselves on innovative and meaningful approaches to capturing local voices and behavior.
Our presence in Nairobi—one of Africa’s fastest growing cities and a recognized center for entrepreneurship, research and technology—enables us to bring an “on-the-ground” context and approach to our work and to deepen our relationships with our local partners.
Harnessing the Power of Connected Youth
By 2050, sub-Saharan Africa will have more adolescents than any other region in the world. Understanding young people’s perceptions, priorities and pressures is therefore vital to success in development, diplomacy and strategic communication in this region. InterMedia launched the Young Publics Project to identify the value priorities and media and technology habits of this demographic in “underresearched” societies in Africa. We aim to carry out surveys of 1,000 young men and women in
six countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan and Zimbabwe.
Understanding New and Social Media
As information grows in complexity and volume and content travels more frequently through digital channels, our digital team helps clients understand and engage with their target audiences, and achieve their digital engagement goals. InterMedia’s digital
practice helps optimize clients’ digital engagement strategies through mobile, social media and other digital networks.
Key to our approach is identifying communities that matter and users who are influential within those communities. We visually map and analyse online networks, allowing us to identify information-sharing patterns and influential players.
The Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI), a global network that seeks to improve health markets, was born out of recognition that many low- and middle-income countries lack vibrant and diverse private health sectors. CHMI partnered with InterMedia to conduct a baseline evaluation of their online reach. Our digital team identified networks of users engaging with CHMI and pinpointed influential users within those groups. Through profiling and analysis, we provided recommendations to increase usage of CHMI tools and resources.
Tapping into the Mobile Phenomenon
Mobile market penetration in Africa is already above 50 percent, and will likely reach 100 per cent by 2014. Across Africa, mobile technology is becoming a cornerstone for industries like healthcare and agriculture. For millions of people, it is making banking truly accessible for the first time.
InterMedia’s global expertise in how people use communication technologies makes us well-placed to analyse the reach, demand for and impact of mobile products and services.
In partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, InterMedia is designing and managing the Financial Inclusion Tracker Surveys. Currently being conducted in Uganda, Tanzania and Pakistan, this research will assess the impact of mobile money on people’s lives, and its ability to help people manage income variability and financial shocks. The research will provide critical benchmarks of data and information for stakeholders in financial access services.
