Across Africa, many Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) systems still reflect external assumptions about what “good evidence” looks like, how change happens, and what success should be measured. Too often, programmes are assessed using indicators and methods that are technically sound on paper but weakly rooted in local realities. Over the years, this has led to evidence that is not trusted, not used, or not owned by the people and institutions it is meant to serve. Additionally, it has also reinforced power imbalances, where communities and local partners provide data, but have limited influence over the questions asked, the interpretations made, and the decisions taken.

The gap is not a lack of MERL activity; it is a lack of MERL that is culturally grounded, context-responsive, and led by African expertise. This gap matters because programmes in social and behaviour change, SRHR, gender and social norms, livelihoods, and public health succeed or fail based on how well they engage with lived experience, informal systems, local power dynamics, and community definitions of wellbeing. Our experience has shown that when MERL approaches do not reflect these realities, they risk missing the real story of change, especially where change is non-linear, contested, and shaped by norms, relationships, and local institutions.

Evidence Frontiers was established to help close this gap by advancing Afrocentric MERL practice as part of the broader effort to decolonize evidence and learning in Africa. We believe that Afrocentric MERL is not a rejection of global standards; it is a commitment to balance technical rigour with cultural validity and local ownership. In practice, to us this means designing MERL systems that start with locally grounded theories of change and context analysis, not imported assumptions; treat communities and frontline actors as co-producers of evidence, not just respondents; measure outcomes in ways that reflect social realities, including relationships, norms, collective agency, and informal influence; and strengthen African institutional capacity to use evidence for decision-making, accountability, and adaptation.

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