Shadreck Banda

Invest in Knowledge

The Invest in Knowledge Initiative (IKI) is a non-profit organization that was incorporated in the U.S. in 2004 and in Malawi in 2008. Its primary goal is to build research capacity in Malawi while providing high quality research and evaluation solutions to our clients. IKI's initial efforts were centered on providing training in technical skills such as research methods, statistics, and data management. Its main activities included: (1) collaboration with local institutions; (2) staff training; (3) monthly research practicums held at University of Malawi's Chancellor College and College of Medicine; and, (4) graduate school scholarships for Malawians. Subsequently, IKI has developed a consultancy practice to fund its training programs, but also to provide opportunities for on-the-job training as young Malawians proceed to grow from interviewers to supervisors to project managers, with the ultimate goal of becoming independent researchers in charge of their own studies. IKI consultancy practice has provided survey research management in the areas of education, agriculture, demography, economics, sociology, and health. IKI has provided services in study design, data collection, data entry & management, statistical analyses, and report writing for organizations such as the World Bank, the University of Pennsylvania, Malawi College of Medicine, Concern Worldwide, the Ministry of Lands, the Soul City Institute and Oxford University.