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After over 15 years of experience working in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, in July 2011 InterMedia opened new offices in Nairobi, Kenya. The establishment of these offices reflects the company's recognition of Africa's strong potential and the growing importance of high-quality media and communication research as new technologies and content providers rapidly proliferate.
Part of InterMedia’s mission in the region includes strengthening African research capacity and ensuring that all of our work is driven by local talent and ideas. Our company is working to build on its experience in some 25 African countries to forge collaborations and partnerships emphasizing local ownership of the research process.
Some examples of our work in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AudienceScapes - African Research to Support Development
In 2010, InterMedia launched AudienceScapes, an online research and knowledge center aimed at supporting international development, particularly in Africa. The project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, features original research in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia that is providing unique media and communication data and analysis to development organisations in health, financial access, social justice, governance, agriculture and other areas.
Measuring and Consulting for Media
InterMedia has been the prime contractor since 2001 on audience research and program evaluation worldwide for all U.S. international public broadcasters, including VOA in Africa. The contract covers TV, radio, online and mobile content delivery, with research often conducted in challenging and remote locations. InterMedia provides government-mandated effectiveness measures and consulting that guides content decisions. The research program has covered more than 20 African countries - Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe in the past year alone.
Raising Health Awareness Through Communication
In Ethiopia and Uganda, the Population Reference Bureau chose InterMedia to assess the impact of the group’s outreach work with journalists and media outlets, as well as its public communications activities. InterMedia also gauged general levels of awareness and knowledge of reproductive health issues among various segments of the public. The research showed PRB what worked and what didn’t in outreach and communications, informing future programs.
Addressing the Digital Divide
Cisco Systems partnered with UNDP, USAID and others to establish the Cisco Networking Academy's IT skills training programs in a number of countries. In 2006/07, Cisco Learning Institute brought in InterMedia to look at the impact of the programs on employability at the community level for participants in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. The assessment showed positive effects, and the Academy added dozens more African countries to its program.
Accessing Financial Services at the Bottom of the Pyramid
InterMedia is taking part in a multi-year, multi-region evaluation on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor (FSP) initiative, to gauge grantee financial institutions' success in targeting bottom-of-the-pyramid individuals. As a sub-contracted partner of Bankable Frontier Associates in this five-country study, InterMedia conducted large-scale demand-side surveys in Malawi and DRC.
Evaluating Mobile Money’s Impact
InterMedia launched a three-year project for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor (FSP) initiative to track and analyze uptake and use of mobile-phone based financial services (mobile money) in Tanzania and Uganda. These Financial Inclusion Tracker Surveys will provide a benchmark for stakeholders in financial access and also help academics assess the welfare effects of mobile money services.
Promoting Radio for Peace
InterMedia has begun work on an impact assessment of radio programs in Chad and Niger produced by Equal Access in partnership with AED’s Peace through Development Program. The radio programs have been running for three years and are aimed at reducing conflict, violence and support for terrorist activities. The assessment looks at the extent to which exposure to the radio programs influenced attitudes and behavior among specific target groups, and will provide important feedback on how to improve the program going forward.