Research ICT Africa

What Research ICT Africa does

Research ICT Africa (RIA) is a Cape Town-based public-interest research organization that conducts multidisciplinary research on digital governance, ICT policy and regulation, and AI governance across Africa. The organization serves African national governments, regulatory bodies, civil society organizations, multilateral institutions (including the African Union Commission and NEPAD), and UN-level policy processes by producing evidence-based research, frameworks, and recommendations on digital equality, data justice, and sustainable AI. Its primary deliverables are research outputs distributed freely under Creative Commons licensing, rather than commercial software or services.

RIA's core products are research frameworks and longitudinal datasets rather than software platforms. The Just AI Framework of Inquiry is a governance framework tailored to African contexts, organized across nine interconnected inquiries. The After Access Survey is a longitudinal household study of ICT access and usage in the Global South running since 2017, and the RAMP Index provides quarterly mobile pricing data across African countries since 2014. Complementary offerings include the Africa Just AI Lab, the Africa Just AI Conference, the School of Digital and Data Futures (a capacity-building program), and an Internet Measurements project tracking broadband quality of service.

RIA operates as a non-profit NGO funded through grants from institutional donors, including IDRC, GIZ, the European Union, FCDO, and the African Development Bank. It does not sell products or services commercially; outputs are open-access and revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization maintains active engagement with continental and global policy processes (African Union, UN Global Digital Compact, UN AI Advisory Body) and reports a team of 1–10 employees under executive leadership currently held by Pria Chetty, succeeding founder-era leader Alison Gillwald.

Name

Research ICT Africa

Legal name

Research ICT Africa

Website

https://researchictafrica.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Research ICT Africa is a Cape Town-based public-interest research organization that conducts evidence-based research on digital governance, ICT policy, and AI governance for African governments, civil society, and multilateral bodies including the African Union.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL), EdTech & Digital Learning Policy Research (EDADADAK)

Keywords

• Digital policy research
• ICT governance Africa
• AI governance frameworks
• Mobile pricing data
• Digital inequality studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Institutional Research Funding: RIA operates as a public-interest research organization funded through grants and partnerships with international development agencies, governments, and multilateral organizations.
2. Capacity Building and Training Services: The organization delivers training, education, and technical assistance to strengthen research and policy-making capabilities of institutions, governments, and civil society across Africa.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Research ICT Africa conducts public-interest, evidence-based research on digital policy, ICT regulation, AI governance, and data justice across Africa. Its core deliverables are research frameworks (such as the Just AI Framework of Inquiry), longitudinal datasets and indices (After Access Survey, RAMP Index), and capacity-building programmes (School of Digital and Data Futures) that inform African policymakers, regulators, and civil society. Outputs are published openly and supplemented by advisory engagements with governments, the African Union, and multilateral bodies.

Product overview

Research ICT Africa (RIA) operates as a public-interest research organization rather than a software product company. Its core offerings consist of research frameworks, longitudinal studies, indices, and educational programmes focused on digital governance and AI policy in Africa. The Just AI Framework of Inquiry serves as the primary governance framework, supported by the After Access Survey (longitudinal ICT access study since 2017), the RAMP Index (mobile pricing database since 2014), and the School of Digital and Data Futures (capacity building programme). RIA also produces thematic research through programmes on AI and Advanced Tech Policy, Data Policy and Governance, Digital Economy and Indicators, Digital Public Infrastructure, and Capacity Building, along with conferences such as the annual Just AI Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICRIER is a key partner in RIA's Digital Public Infrastructure work, particularly in the Community of Practice for DPI for Development (DPI4D).
• Lawyers HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan legal technology organization partnering on digital rights and governance initiatives.
• NEPADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEPAD (African Union's development agency) collaborates with RIA on continental digital policy initiatives.
• Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African research center focused on analytics and behavioral change in digital contexts.
• Moxii AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization (formerly Media Monitoring Africa) focused on transparent information that empowers all.
• IntakaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCape Town-based organization partnering on various initiatives.
• European Partnership for Integration (EPD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean organization partnering on digital inclusion initiatives.
• African Union CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUC is a key partner in developing the African Union Data Policy Framework and related capacity building initiatives.
• Centre for Internet and Society (India)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Africa Digital Policy Project and ten-country exploration of socio-digital ID systems.
• University of Cape Town (UCT) - Law at WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with UCT's Law at Work programme.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DiploFoundation: DiploFoundation is a capacity-building organization focused on digital policy, internet governance, and diplomacy — closely comparable to RIA's School of Digital and Data Futures in its mandate to train policymakers and civil society in emerging digital governance topics.
• Access Now: Access Now is a global digital rights organization defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk — comparable to RIA in its focus on digital rights, data justice, and policy advocacy for equitable digital governance.
• Association for Progressive Communications (APC): APC is a global civil society network focused on digital rights, ICT policy, and equitable internet access in the Global South — comparable to RIA in its public-interest research model and policy advocacy, particularly on digital rights and inclusion.
• World Wide Web Foundation: The Web Foundation advances digital equity and the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), with a mission to make the web affordable and accessible globally — comparable to RIA's focus on digital inequality and affordability of mobile/internet access.
• LirneAsia: LirneAsia is a think tank conducting research on ICT policy and regulatory issues across emerging Asia, with a comparable model of demand-side data collection, policy advisory work, and public-interest research — making it the closest structural analogue to RIA outside Africa.
• Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA): CIPESA is an Africa-focused ICT policy research and advocacy organization operating in the same geographies as RIA, with overlapping work on internet rights, digital inclusion, and policy frameworks across African countries.

Broad incumbents

• GSMA Intelligence: GSMA Intelligence is the mobile industry's global research arm, producing authoritative data on mobile connectivity, pricing, and adoption — overlapping with RIA's RAMP Index work but at a global commercial scale serving industry rather than public-interest policy.
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): ITU is the UN specialized agency for ICTs, producing global ICT indicators, policy frameworks, and capacity building — overlapping with RIA's work on digital policy and ICT access data but at a global intergovernmental scale.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): Chatham House is a leading international affairs think tank producing policy research across global issues including digital and technology governance — a comparator in think tank scale and policy influence, though broader in scope than RIA's Africa-ICT focus.
• Internet Society (ISOC): ISOC is a global nonprofit promoting the open development, evolution, and use of the internet — operating in overlapping digital policy and inclusion spaces, with established presence in Africa through chapters and grants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rianetwork
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxi_-cOYmuIewRgMpcf3iHw
• Facebookfacebook.com/researchICTafrica.net
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/research-ict-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Research ICT Africa