New Board Appointments for @evidence_method On behalf of management of Evidence And Methods, I wish to inform partners, friends and the general public of the changes made to our Advisory Board. @GodberTumushabe, who has been our board chair, and @BarbsBirungi both complete their terms. @TamaleLillian has succeeded Godber as Chairperson, with @SandyColiver and @tawmug joining our continuing members @edgarkuhimbisa and @qataharraymond. EML exists to address a governance gap that defines the African continent. Africa holds 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, more than 60% of its uncultivated arable land, and 1.4 billion people with a median age of 19. Despite this great potential, studies, including our own, have found that governance quality has declined across much of the continent over the past decade, and fewer than one in three Africans lives in a country where it is improving. The distance between what this continent has and what most of its citizens experience comes down to systems that do not respond to the people they serve. At the community level, a person is detained for days without seeing a magistrate because they do not know how to invoke their constitutional rights. A mother is turned away from a government health facility without medicines — a pattern our surveys found affecting 70% of patients in target communities, even where district budgets show the allocation was made. When citizens have no practical way to hold institutions to account, institutions have no reason to listen. Over the past nine years, we have reached over five million citizens across multiple African countries (with concentration in Uganda), building tools and evidence systems that address this gap — civic feedback platforms, budget transparency and civic education initiatives that translate legal provisions into language communities can use. We are now building to be operational in at least 8 countries across 3 African regions by 2028, through local civil society partnerships rather than country offices, because closing this governance gap requires African-led organizations working at scale with tools tested in the hardest environments. Godber opened doors to our earliest partners and funders, steered our strategic direction during years when the organization was mostly an idea, anchored us into civil society while opening opportunities in the public sector, and held us to standards we had not yet earned — he did not make exceptions for our proximity to him as friends. Barbara gave us our first home at Hive Colab and brought a technology and innovation lens that shaped how we think about reaching citizens at scale, particularly women and young people often excluded from civic processes. We are grateful to both of them, and to the partners and clients who trusted EML during this board’s tenure. The advisory board we have put together carries the expertise, networks, and continental reach that the next phase of this work demands. I wish to thank and congratulate Godber and Barbara for serving us selflessly and to welcome the new members, Tawanda and Sandra to this adventure! Michael Katagaya Team Leader A copy of the press release can be found here: shorturl.at/yt8MI

Yesterday at @Columbia University’s @ColumbiaIGP (Institute of Global Politics), I had the rare opportunity to sit in a room with two former U.S. Secretaries of State - @HillaryClinton and @SecPompeo (Mike Pompeo) - for an Across-the-Aisle conversation on the shifting global landscape. This took place within the broader theme “The Geopolitical Chessboard: Implications of the Current Global Ferment.” The event featured insights from Columbia Acting President Clare Shipman, Dean @YarhiMilo, and earlier discussions with Ambassador Victoria Nuland, @AmbMKimani, Dr. @JulianGewirtz and @biannagolodryga. A couple of themes from the conversation stood out for me: First, the art of principled disagreement. The session modelled something we rarely see: disagreement grounded in respect and curiosity. When done well, it sharpens thinking and strengthens democratic culture. Second, a shifting Africa shaped by youth. Reflections on digital mobilisation and budget scrutiny mirrored what we see across the continent. Young people are interrogating evidence, challenging opaque decisions, and rejecting narratives of powerlessness. It is noisy, necessary, and exactly where civic-tech infrastructure must show up. This brought me a bit of goosebumps with my civic-tech work on the continent. Third, the global balance of power is changing. Discussions around AI, supply chains, information warfare, and geopolitical competition revealed a world far more fluid than a decade ago, with U.S.’s historical global leadership being challenged more than ever. It raised a personal question: Should this moment give us goosebumps — admiration for what’s emerging — or tears for what might be lost? Fourth, Africa’s geopolitical terrain is tightening. With traditional partners distracted or “nonchalant”, the continent increasingly interacts with actors less invested in democratic norms. Some of this is pragmatic; some of it raises concern. Again, goosebumps or tears? Fifth, institutions and purpose still matter. From development tools to multilateral systems, the reminder was clear: institutions work only when tied to purpose. Strength without strategy breeds instability, and cooperation without accountability becomes hollow. One last thought that stayed with me and one that relates most to my work around centering citizens: Citizenship is a discipline. It requires good information habits, resistance to manipulation, and a commitment to dignity and the rule of law - even when our own side is tempted to bend it. That is the work that protects democracies from corrosion. I left the room with a sharper sense of how much is changing, and how much responsibility falls on those of us working to strengthen participation and accountability. The world is entering a new era. Whether it moves toward possibility or crisis will depend on the values, imagination, and courage we bring to it. #WeShapeGov #CivicTech #Governance #Africa #Democracy #GlobalPolitics #ColumbiaUniversity #IGP

For weeks, my family and neighbors had gone without water. I filed reports, called officials, and tweeted — but nothing changed. When routine channels stalled, I carried my jerrycans to the local water office — not out of anger, but to make the invisible visible. Behind every service complaint is a family, a farmer, a child waiting to be heard. That morning, I wasn’t just asking for water — I was asking to be seen. By evening, the taps were running again — a reminder that systems change when people insist, calmly, on being heard and that service delivery doesn’t only fail because of broken pipes — it fails when feedback loops break. Across Africa and the Global South, millions face the same silence. 📊 Only 46% of citizens feel free to express political opinions publicly (Afrobarometer, 2023) 📊 Fewer than three in ten believe leaders listen between elections At Evidence and Methods Lab, we’ve spent the past years helping close that gap — reaching over five million people by simplifying national data, visualising budgets, translating laws, and convening citizens and leaders. Now, through hashtag#WeShapeGov, we’re building on that foundation — uniting our work under one shared vision of People, Participation, and Response. 💡 Tech & Tools – civic-tech and AI solutions for engagement. 📈 Data & Evidence – simplifying public data into actionable insight 📖 Stories & Dialogue – curating citizen voices and facilitating convening. 🎓 Training & Skills – strengthening civic and institutional capacity to listen and act Our inaugural initiatives — 📌 Citizen Letters, which collects handwritten letters from communities to bring personal experiences directly to leaders and the public, & 📌 Faayo, an AI-enabled civic-tech platform that turns everyday service experiences into actionable insights — mark the start of this new phase. We’re also (re)initiating: 📌Omutuuze – civic data & public finance analysis 📌Constitution Simplified – translating rule-of-law concepts into visuals and local languages 📌Curating Citizen Voices Online – monitoring & interpreting civic sentiment 📌WasteWise – advancing climate accountability through waste management 📌TechJustice – exploring technology’s role in rights and digital inclusion 📌Civic Engagement Academy – equipping youth and institutions with data, design, and engagement skills We’re focused on progress in health, education, justice, transport, water, & climate action — where informed citizens and responsive institutions create visible change. Our ambition is to expand across Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana, Nigeria, Egypt, & India. If this vision inspires you — to collaborate, volunteer, or fund — we’d love to connect. 👉 Read my full reflections: lnkd.in/dSyy7VNK #WeShapeGov #CitizenLetters #Faayo #CitizenAgency #LeaderResponseIndex #Governance #Leadership #Accountability #ServiceDelivery #CivicTech #Data4Development #Insights #ClimateAction #SocialImpact #Participation #Africa

I recently joined a conversation with H.E. Ambassador Jürg Lauber @SwissAmbUN_GVA , #President of the #UN Human Rights Council at @Columbia’s @ishrcolumbia. The discussion offered clear insight into how the Council operates, the tools at its disposal, and the way it navigates complex political realities. Even in challenging times, it’s encouraging to see how these mechanisms strive to serve a vital role. In the side conversations, we spoke about something central to my work; that #sustainable progress depends on centering #citizens. When people have voice, agency, and pathways to shape decisions, #institutions become stronger and more responsive. This remains, in my view, the surest way to rebuild trust and accountability, and therefore achieve progress. Reflecting on the broader context, if you’ve been in rooms recently with practitioners working on democracy, human rights, peace, accountability etc you recognize the mood that often accompanies the work. The fatigue & exhaustion - not in a dramatic sense but rather the weight of responsibility, mixed with the urgency of the moment - an awareness of the pressures, the shrinking civic spaces, and the sense that gains across regions are being tested. Specifically, the decline/challenges to democracy, peace etc we’ve been observing in the Global South is now mirrored in parts of the North too, as countries once seen as anchor points withdraw resources and retreat from long-standing commitments sending huge shocks across sectors. At that conversation, despite this exhaustion being real, I sensed a strong commitment to keep pushing forward despite the global headwinds. Engaging in spaces like this has been one of the enriching parts of my time at Columbia, as I pursue the @ObamaFoundation Scholars Programme. It’s a reminder of the value of global dialogue, shared learning, and staying connected to a community of thinkers and practitioners committed to advancing human dignity. #HumanRights #Democracy #Accountability #CitizenAgency #Governance #SocialJustice #WeShapeGov #GlobalSouth #Leadership #InternationalAffairs #ObamaScholars #ColumbiaUniversity #ISHR