Economic Development Initiatives Global

Name

Economic Development Initiatives Global

Legal name

Economic Development Initiatives (EDI) Limited

Website

https://edi-global.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Research and Evaluation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Monitoring and evaluation
• Data collection services
• Impact evaluation
• Research and analytics
• Survey data collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government and Bilateral/Multilateral Donor Contracts: EDI Global's primary revenue derives from contracted evaluation, research, and data collection services commissioned by governments, bilateral aid agencies (FCDO), multilateral development banks (World Bank), and UN agencies (UNICEF). Projects are typically multi-year contracts awarded through competitive tendering or direct commissioning for MERL services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EDI Global is a research and data collection firm that delivers high-quality Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) services to governments, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs, and academic institutions working on international development programmes. The firm conducts baseline/endline surveys, impact evaluations, longitudinal panel tracking, mixed-methods research, and programme assessments across sectors including health, education, agriculture, social protection, and migration. Its proprietary surveybe CAPI software underpins field operations, enabling encrypted, GPS-tracked, sensitive, and remote data collection in challenging environments across East Africa and beyond.

Product overview

EDI Global offers MERL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning) services rather than a traditional SaaS product. Their core proprietary technology offering is surveybe, a CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) software application used for designing and implementing surveys in field research settings. The company provides data collection, research and analytics, and monitoring, evaluation and learning services to development clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Data Collection Services High-quality quantitative and qualitative field data collection services for development programmes, combining academic rigour, local expertise, and innovative survey designs. Service is delivered via the proprietary surveybe CAPI platform and includes household surveys, health facility surveys, phone surveys, panel tracking, and remote data collection in challenging field environments.
• Research & Analytics Research and analytics services addressing pressing development challenges, providing high-quality research outputs for institutional clients. Work includes longitudinal studies, RCTs, quasi-experimental evaluations, mixed-methods research, and analysis of programme outcomes across multiple sectors.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning services that bring together data, research insights, and MEL methodologies to help clients assess programme performance and maximise impact. Includes programme design support, baseline/endline surveys, impact evaluations using RCTs and quasi-experimental methods, process evaluations, and theory-based evaluation approaches.
• surveybe CAPI Software Proprietary Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) software used for designing and implementing field surveys in research settings. Features automatic encryption of interview files, GPS coordinate capture, mobile phone number validation, photography capabilities, barcode/QR code scanning, multiple question scope modes (including private mode), randomised response lists, audio/video recording for sensitive question self-administration, sequential screen self-completion, and encrypted on-device reference data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tracked 88% of original KHDS respondents from baseline (1991) to endline (2010) — over 4,336 individuals across 19 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercy Corps (SPARC Programme)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023Mercy Corps engaged EDI Global to implement a household survey in Northern Kenya for the SPARC (Supporting Pastoralism and Agriculture in Recurrent and Protracted Crises) programme, funded by FCDO. EDI led all phases of data collection and fieldwork implementation across five counties.
• TradeMark Africa (TMA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023TradeMark Africa contracted EDI Global to conduct an independent evaluation of its ICT for Trade portfolio across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, assessing impact on MSMEs and the East African trade ecosystem using OECD-DAC criteria.
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023Danish Refugee Council contracted EDI Global to conduct the final evaluation of the Ethiopia Migration Programme (FCDO-funded, 2019–2023) operating in Addis Ababa, Tigray, and Amhara regions, implemented in a consortium with Save the Children International, BBC Media Action, Altai Consulting, and Mixed Migration Centre.
• UNICEF Tanzania / UNICEF Office of ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017UNICEF contracted EDI Global as evaluation team member for the Ujana Salama ('cash plus') youth livelihoods impact evaluation in Tanzania, conducting four waves of surveys from 2017 to 2021. EDI contributed to all reports, academic papers, and presentations arising from the evaluation.
• Results for Development (R4D)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016R4D partnered with EDI Global from 2016 to 2023 on operational research studying provider behaviour change for childhood pneumonia treatment in Tanzania. EDI conducted health facility surveys across up to 26 regions, transitioning to remote phone surveys during COVID-19, and also collaborated on published blog posts.
• Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2016CMI contracted EDI Global to conduct three rounds of phone surveys between 2018 and 2020 for the process evaluation of the Results-Based Financing scale-up project in Tanzania's Mwanza and Mara regions.
• Equimundo (formerly Promundo-US)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2016Equimundo contracted EDI Global to implement the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) in Tanzania and Uganda from 2016 to 2017 — 4,032 interviews across both countries, with EDI leading sampling strategy, questionnaire adaptation, CAPI programming, and fieldwork implementation.
• ICAP at Columbia UniversityminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2014ICAP contracted EDI Global to implement baseline and endline surveys for the Geographically Concentrated Multi-Level HIV Prevention programme in Bukoba Urban District, Tanzania, including joint implementation with ICAP medical staff for HIV testing of over 5,000 respondents.
• Stockholm University (FAIR at Norwegian School of Economics, University of Chile, D-tree, Institute for International Economic Studies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDI Global is a consortium data collection partner on the Kizazi Kijacho six-year ECD research programme led by Stockholm University and funded by FCDO. Within a consortium including the University of Chile, FAIR, D-tree, and IIES, EDI leads all data collection activities for the RCT evaluating parenting interventions and cash transfers.
• Yale University, University of Chile, Stockholm University, Norwegian School of EconomicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDI Global collaborated with an academic consortium including Yale University, University of Chile, Stockholm University, and the Norwegian School of Economics to implement the Character Virtue Formation in Early Childhood pilot study in Tanzania, employing EEG and LENA technologies alongside quantitative surveys.
• Small Firm Diaries (global research consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDI Global serves as the data collection partner for the Small Firm Diaries panel study in Uganda — a multi-country study exploring financial lives of small firms. EDI conducts census listing, baseline, financial diaries panel, consumer quality survey, and endline data collections.
• World Bank / National Planning Authority UgandacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe World Bank and Uganda's National Planning Authority (NPA) contracted EDI Global to conduct a baseline survey for the Investment in Forests and Protected Areas for Climate-Smart Development (IFPA-CD) project across 93 districts of Uganda, assessing employment in tourism, wood-processing, and production forestry sectors.
• Georgetown UniversitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeorgetown University contracted EDI Global to conduct baseline, midline, endline, and Remote Learning Parent surveys across 400 primary schools in Tanzania for the RISE (Research on Improving Systems of Education) Programme impact evaluation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Cardno International Development: Development consulting arm (now part of Stantec) providing monitoring, evaluation, and programme management services to USAID, DFAT, FCDO, and other donors. Direct adjacency to EDI's MERL service portfolio, with global delivery scale EDI cannot match.
• DT Global: Global development consulting firm offering programme design, MEL, and implementation services across multiple regions. Competes with EDI for FCDO and donor contracts and serves overlapping sectors, though typically at larger contract scale.
• Mathematica Policy Research: US-based policy research and evaluation firm conducting large-scale programme evaluations and surveys for federal agencies and foundations. Comparable to EDI's evaluation and survey methods, but with significantly larger staff and broader sector footprint.
• Abt Associates: Large US-headquartered research and consulting firm with deep international development practice spanning health, education, and economic growth. Competes with EDI for the same donor contracts while operating at materially greater scale.
• ICF International: Global consulting and digital services firm with a sizeable international development division delivering surveys, evaluations, and analytics for USAID and other donors. Overlaps with EDI on data collection and evaluation, but with broader commercial-government mix.
• Palladium: Large global implementation and advisory firm delivering development consulting across health, governance, and economic growth. Overlaps with EDI on impact evaluation and MEL service lines, but operates at far greater scale across many more geographies.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution delivering survey research, programme evaluation, and policy analysis for government, foundations, and international agencies. Comparable to EDI on methodology and donor client base, with US academic affiliation and greater scale.

Direct peers

• Oxford Policy Management: UK-headquartered development research and policy advisory firm conducting rigorous impact evaluations, surveys, and economic analysis for governments and donors globally. Highly comparable to EDI Global in mission, methodology, and donor client base, though larger in scale.
• Itad: UK-based monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) firm providing independent evaluation and learning services to bilateral/multilateral donors, foundations, and governments. Direct peer to EDI Global with comparable size, sector focus on international development, and similar client base including FCDO.
• The Mitchell Group: Small US-based research and evaluation firm specialising in social science research, programme evaluation, and survey design for federal agencies and international donors. Comparable to EDI in service mix (research, surveys, evaluation) and boutique scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ediglobal
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/edi-global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Economic Development Initiatives Global