Africa Access Labs

If we cannot show what changed, we have not finished the job.

We agree indicators with programme partners at design stage, keep reach, output, outcome and impact separate, and report our contribution as contribution, not attribution.

Reach, output, outcome, impact.

Indicators are agreed with each partner at design stage.

  1. Reach

    Who did we contact?

    Delivered and measured directly

    • People reached
    • Underserved people reached
    • Geographic accessibility
    • Language accessibility

  2. Output

    What did the service deliver?

    Delivered and measured directly

    • Service journeys initiated
    • Registrations and applications completed
    • Referrals made
    • Human escalations
    • Data completeness
    • Cost per completed journey

  3. Outcome

    What changed for people or the programme?

    Measured with programme partners

    • Completion rate
    • Referrals completed
    • Comprehension
    • Satisfaction among people served
    • Fewer repeat visits and incomplete submissions

  4. Impact

    What longer-term development outcome did the wider programme contribute to?

    Assessed through programme evaluation

    • Contribution to sector outcomes
    • Cost-to-serve improvement at scale

How we would know the programme worked.

Measurement is designed in from the start, as part of a learning agenda agreed with the partner, not added at the end.

  1. AgreeDefine the excluded group, the service journey and the indicators with partners.
  2. BaselineEstablish starting conditions, so change can be measured rather than assumed.
  3. DisaggregateWhere appropriate, by sex, age, geography, language and disability, with consent.
  4. MonitorEngagement, completion, response time, escalation and drop-off, continuously.
  5. EvaluateIndependent or partner-led evaluation, where programme design allows.

From an access barrier to a more inclusive service.

Technology is the means. Access and measurable outcomes are the purpose.

  1. Problem

    Essential services are increasingly digitised, but conventional digital channels can exclude people.

  2. Intervention

    Accessible, conversational, low-friction service channels.

  3. Outputs

    Information, onboarding, data capture, communication, referrals, reminders, feedback and navigation.

  4. Outcomes

    More people understand, access and complete essential service journeys.

  5. Long-term contribution

    More inclusive public services, healthcare, financial services, agriculture, development programmes, humanitarian assistance and livelihood opportunities.

The problem is the context we respond to. Intervention, outputs and outcomes are what Africa Access Labs delivers and measures directly. Long-term contribution is contribution, not attribution.

What has to be true

People engage when channels are familiar, affordable and available in their language. Institutions act on referrals, escalations and feedback within agreed service times. Information is trusted because it comes from approved, partner-owned sources.

Contribution, not attribution

Our contribution sits between intervention and outcome: the point where a service becomes something a person can actually reach, understand and finish. Long-term impact depends on the full programme, including policy, financing, frontline staff and the quality of the underlying service.

What stands between people and the service you need them to reach?

Tell us what you would need to see measured, and we will show how we would measure it.

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