iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Emeka Eluemunor, IPA's Regional Director for West Africa, will moderate "One Poverty Response," on how governments and partners can better coordinate social protection and economic inclusion programs. Look out for more!

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

At #UNGA81, IPA joins the Government of Nigeria for discussions on crisis response, social protection, and poverty reduction. Sept 24 | 6-8pm EDT | UN HQ, New York.

120

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

What kind of business support actually helps businesses grow and create jobs? At #UNGA81, IPA and the African Management Institute will bring together research, funding, and implementation perspectives on what works and how to scale it. Sept 22 | NYC

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The real cost of mobile money can be more than the official fee. Extra agent charges, time spent waiting, network problems, and failed transactions can all add up. A new SurveyCTO case study looks at how IPA is measuring these costs in Uganda and other markets. bit.ly/4iRDacX

bit.ly

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Uses Mystery Shopping to Measure the True Cost of Mobile Banking in Uganda with SurveyCTO

Learn how IPA used SurveyCTO to measure the popularity and effectiveness of mobile banking using a mystery shopping workflow.

010

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Participants weighed the findings against their own experience and agreed on which improvements to prioritize first. Next steps include a phased modernization roadmap and a technical working group to oversee it. Learn more: poverty-action.org/embedded-evi...

poverty-action.org

IPA Embedded Evidence Lab Program

Embedded Labs put governments in the driver's seat to generate the data they need and use it to make decisions.

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The workshop centered on a diagnostic of three systems: the Social Registry Information System, the Poverty Graduation Management Information System, and the Mbaza citizen engagement platform. Government staff, district teams, and nongovernmental organization partners took part.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Last week, IPA, in collaboration with Rwanda's Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) and BRAC International, through the Graduation Embedded Evidence Lab, convened a workshop on Rwanda's social protection data systems.

142

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Emma Smith and Toyin Olowogbon will present their work on digital livelihoods for refugees in Kenya and IDPs in Nigeria while Pablo Ariel Acosta (World Bank) will discuss what new findings on digital work in Kenya and Nigeria mean for the World Bank and policymakers globally.

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Fraud does not affect women and men entrepreneurs the same way. Twice as many women say they would not know what to do if their account were compromised 14% of women have six months of capital to recover, vs 22% of men New from IPA & CARE: nextbillion.net/hidden-cost-...

031

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

#InternationalLiteracyDay Ghana’s Differentiated Learning approach groups students by what they know, helping teachers meet them at their actual learning level. Today, it reaches 2.4 million students in 10,000+ schools. Hear from researcher Adrienne Lucas. Read the full story: bit.ly/3TeWAhz

020

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Two cost-effectiveness analyses of similar programs can produce very different results because of the assumptions behind them. Part 2 of IPA’s series looks at how to make those assumptions more transparent and estimates more useful for decision-makers. Read the blog: bit.ly/4zYIEZD

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

More training doesn’t always mean better results for community health workers. Research points to three practical lessons: keep training focused, make time for practice, and provide supportive supervision. Swipe through to learn more, then explore IPA’s evidence brief and resources: bit.ly/4qNSh9g

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

That could make it cheaper and easier to track learning more frequently, and give teachers timely information to improve instruction. Read more: bit.ly/4cfRQyw

bit.ly

Can Teachers Accurately Assess Student Learning? What the Evidence Shows | IPA

010

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Can teachers reliably assess their own students? New research across 40 schools finds that teachers’ reading assessments closely matched those of independent assessors.

111

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

At Nigeria’s 2nd National Gender Conference, IPA shared evidence on: → Preventing gender-based violence → Expanding women’s access to finance → Addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence See how evidence can help advance Nigeria’s gender priorities: poverty-action.org/ipa-nigeria-...

poverty-action.org

IPA Nigeria Presents at the 2nd National Gender Conference 2026

IPA shared evidence on gender-based violence and intimate partner violence, highlighting key points, lessons, and opportunities for intervention and prevention.

010

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Why does cash persist even when merchants and consumers are willing to pay digitally? New research from IPA and Phil Roessler finds that correcting misperceptions can change beliefs, but that alone may not change how people pay. Read the blog: bit.ly/4ggwfIR

010

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

6/6 In the coming weeks, we'll share more from the project findings, including what the evidence means for governments, funders, practitioners, and communities working to strengthen livelihoods and climate resilience.

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

5/6 Timing matters. Aligning evidence with county planning and policy cycles creates stronger opportunities for research to inform decisions.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

4/6 Communities should help shape solutions. Strong partnerships across government, development organizations, and the private sector can strengthen implementation and avoid duplication.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

3/6 Impact evidence isn't enough. Policymakers also need evidence on long-term outcomes, value for money, and fiscal sustainability to inform investment decisions.

110

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

2/6 Government ownership is the pathway to scale. Lasting impact depends on embedding graduation approaches within county and national systems, not relying on donor-led delivery.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

1/6 Last week, IPA joined The BOMA Project and the IKEA Foundation in Nairobi to share new evidence from the Livelihoods and Inclusion for Transformation in Northern Kenya project and discuss what it will take to scale economic inclusion in Kenya. Four insights from the discussion!

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

We'll share new evidence from northern Kenya and explore how it can inform future policy decisions on livelihoods, forests, and climate resilience. Learn more: bit.ly/3TSz49X

bit.ly

Dissemination Workshop: Livelihoods and Inclusion for Transformation in Northern Kenya | IPA

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

What happens when livelihood support is designed with both people and the environment in mind? That's the question at the heart of an event IPA is hosting with The BOMA Project and the IKEA Foundation on August 4 in Nairobi.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

We'll share new evidence from northern Kenya and explore how it can inform future policy decisions on livelihoods, forests, and climate resilience. Learn more: bit.ly/4hIy2Ht

bit.ly

Evaluating an Environmentally Focused Ultra-Poor Graduation Program in Kenya | IPA

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The evidence points toward better prevention, not more warnings. Programs are most effective when information is timely, personalized, delivered by trusted messengers, and paired with concrete opportunities people can actually act on. Read more: bit.ly/44XOWKS #EndHumanTrafficking

bit.ly

Why Awareness Alone Cannot Prevent Human Trafficking | IPA

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Across studies in 20 countries, awareness campaigns consistently improved knowledge. But knowledge rarely translated into safer decisions when people still lacked safe migration pathways, viable jobs, legal protections, or other realistic alternatives.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Today is #WorldDayAgainstTraffickingInPersons. Governments invest heavily in awareness campaigns to prevent trafficking. But does information alone change outcomes? Evidence from IPA's Human Trafficking Research Initiative suggests: not usually.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Can a universal livelihoods model deliver strong results at low cost? New evidence from Uganda suggests it can. Explore key findings in the visuals below.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Through the Ministry's Education Embedded Lab, IPA shared a synthesis of evidence on school violence and reaffirmed its commitment to helping generate and translate evidence into policies that make schools safer and improve learning. Learn more about Uganda’s Ed Lab: bit.ly/4hwf3zN

poverty-action.org

Uganda Education Policy Evidence and Implementation Lab (Ed Lab) | IPA

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Participants identified several priorities for scaling: ✅ Strengthening teacher training and support ✅ Embedding violence prevention within government systems ✅ Building stronger accountability and data systems

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The discussion built on Uganda's strong evidence base, including lessons from the Good School Toolkit and other proven interventions, to explore what it takes to scale approaches that improve children's safety and learning.

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

How do we move from successful pilot programs to sustainable, government-led solutions that help prevent violence against children in schools? That was the focus of a national workshop convened by Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports, IPA, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

110

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Read our latest blog by @nessakenny.bsky.social and Caroline Lawton: bit.ly/4wVLmNh

010

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Self-reliance is easy to endorse. Achieving it is much harder. New evidence presented at the Joint Data Center's Research Conference on Forced Displacement challenges common assumptions about aid, livelihoods, and what it really takes to support displaced populations.

154

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Across five studies, IPA and the Bank of Tanzania examined what influences the cost of digital financial services, and what policymakers can do to make digital payments more affordable, inclusive, and sustainable.

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

This wraps up our evidence series on the Tanzania Affordable Digital Finance Research Initiative (#TADFRI).

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

What drives the cost of digital payments? Not one factor, but many. Our latest blog explores how consumer behavior, taxes, competition, payment infrastructure, and provider incentives shape the affordability of digital financial services. Read more: bit.ly/4wFz6Af

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

This blog is part of IPA's Tanzania Affordable Digital Finance Research Initiative (#TADFRI), delivered in partnership with the Bank of Tanzania. Read the full analysis by Jimmy Ebong, Anthea Paelo, and Rafe Mazer: bit.ly/4wKuSr9

bit.ly

Can Constructive Competition and Conducive Regulation Reduce the Cost of Digital Financial Services? An Analysis from Tanzania | IPA

000

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

The research shows that lowering costs isn't simply about adding more providers. A more affordable digital finance ecosystem also depends on: → Greater interoperability → Fair competition → Access to essential payment infrastructure → Regulation that encourages innovation while protecting consumers

100

Innovations for Poverty Action @poverty-action.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Despite widespread mobile money, Tanzanians still pay some of the highest digital transaction fees in the region. Our latest #TADFRI blog explores how competition, interoperability, and smart regulation can help make digital financial services more affordable.

100