// Research Agenda

Evidence first. Then policy. Then markets.

ERITE allocates its research, technical resources and advisory capacity across four interconnected pillars — each designed to address a structural barrier to Africa's inclusive growth.

Our Working Model

Research & Diagnostics

We identify binding constraints through primary data collection, economic modeling and stakeholder consultations.

Pilot Implementation

We co-design and test solutions with public and private partners, using our platforms — the Expo, incubators — as low-cost testing grounds.

Policy Integration & Scale

We embed proven innovations into national strategies and budgets, working hand-in-hand with government agencies and central banks.

Four Pillars

We formulate evidence-based policies that drive technological diffusion and strengthen public sector capacity. Recognizing that government remains one of the largest formal employers across Africa, our frameworks emphasize institutional readiness alongside private enterprise — high-level macroeconomic analysis, sovereign debt and fiscal policy research, and regulatory design for emerging technologies.

  • Quarterly e-Ndaba policy roundtables with central banks and ministries
  • Advisory support to numerous organisations on payment systems modernization and financial inclusion strategy
  • Research on sovereign debt sustainability and fiscal space for digital infrastructure investment

We unlock economic potential and market access through targeted, gender-responsive programs that move SMEs from cash-only operations to digitally integrated businesses. This pillar houses our most visible implementation vehicles.

  • eAfrica Expo & Conference — a pan-African B2B/B2C platform connecting 1,000+ attendees and 600+ companies annually
  • Women in E-Commerce Incubation — technical training, mentorship and foundational capital for female founders
  • eStartUp & Student e-MeetUp — funding and scaling disruptive digital ideas from regional universities
  • Zambia E-Commerce Awards — recognizing and incentivizing digital business excellence

We advocate for the integration of green technologies as foundational to long-term economic stability — designing strategies for off-grid renewable deployment, analyzing the economic returns of climate-smart agriculture, and advising on green public procurement. All our digital programs incorporate climate considerations.

  • Off-grid renewable energy deployment strategies for SMEs
  • Economic returns of climate-smart agriculture
  • Green public procurement policy design

We develop and apply artificial intelligence tools tailored explicitly to Africa's institutional opportunities and structural challenges — automated policy analysis, NLP for public service delivery in local languages, and predictive models for financial inclusion and credit scoring. Africa should be a producer of context-appropriate intelligence, not merely a consumer of global AI.

  • AI for Public Policy Lab — beta-testing tools for improving policy effectiveness, ahead of wider deployment
  • Local-language NLP for public service delivery
  • Predictive models for financial inclusion and credit scoring

Read the Evidence. Join the Work.