REFT Africa
About us
REFT-Africa is the Africa Division of REFT Institute, Inc. — Research, Evaluation, Facilitation and Training. It was established in 2004.
Our vision
To strengthen communities and improve the social conditions of vulnerable populations by building the capacity for quality results.
Who we are
Dora G. Lodwick, Ph.D.
Founder of REFT Institute, Inc.
REFT Institute, Inc. was founded in 1997 by Dora G. Lodwick, Ph.D., a researcher and university professor. Her philosophy rests on three commitments: excellence in quantitative and qualitative research services, meaningful and collaborative relationships with clients and other participants, and culturally and linguistically competent services.
That standard gave REFT its motto — Creating Capacity for Quality Results — and still guides the work of the Africa division today.
REFT Institute works with foundations, government agencies, local authorities, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and private companies — supporting each in their search for accurate and useful data.
Working languages include English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hebrew, Swedish and Arabic, as well as many national and local languages of Africa — Wolof, Pulaar, Swahili — and of Asia.
Our history
- 2017 — Dakar, Senegal REFT Africa registered as a SUARL company
- 2006 — Dakar, Senegal Regional Office for Africa established
- 2004 — Centennial, Colorado, USA REFT Africa created as the Africa Division of REFT Institute, Inc.
- 1997 — Littleton, Colorado, USA REFT Institute, Inc. founded by Dora G. Lodwick, Ph.D.
“Creating Capacity for Quality Results”
Our motto since 1997What sets us apart
Local roots, international standards
A Dakar-based team working in French, English, Wolof and Pulaar — applying the methodological frameworks of USAID, PEFA, the OECD-DAC, the World Bank and the Global Fund. Both at once, with no compromise on either.
The whole chain, from scoping to report
We subcontract neither the data collection, nor the analysis, nor the production of deliverables. The same team stays with you from the initial protocol through to the final debrief — which is what guarantees methodological consistency end to end.
Unusual technical depth
Statistics, databases, geographic information systems and software development under one roof. We depend on no outside provider to process your data.
Our specialisation
REFT specialises in defining and developing evaluation standards, and in the evaluation of needs, processes and results — feasibility studies, ex-ante appraisals, formative and summative evaluations, impact evaluations — as well as in policy analysis, empowerment and capacity-building evaluation, project planning and management, and professional writing.
REFT also provides expertise in statistical modelling, usability evaluation, computerised systems, geographic information systems, and quality improvement through the Six Sigma (6σ) approach.
Strong expertise in
- Programme evaluation
- Outcome evaluation
- PEFA assessment
- Meta-evaluation
- Policy analysis
- Quantitative analysis
- Qualitative analysis
- Statistical analysis
- Demographic analysis
- Statistical modelling
- Data collection
- Surveys and interviews
- Focus groups
- Database development
- Geographic information systems
- Environmental audit
- Quality improvement (Six Sigma)
- Usability testing
- Technical assistance
- Group facilitation
- Community facilitation and training
- Staff and beneficiary training
- Professional report writing
- Translation
REFT Africa staff have applied these capabilities across a wide range of fields — ageing, intercultural competence, medical treatment, positive youth development, and the environment.
Our professional networks
Our evaluators belong to the associations that set the profession's standards, in Africa and internationally. It is also how we stay current.
- American Evaluation Association (AEA)
- African Evaluation Association (AfrEA)
- Senegalese Evaluation Association (SENEVAL)
- American Economic Association
- American Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA)
- Senegalese Association of Agricultural Engineers (ADENSA)
Our MELR platform
REFT Africa designed and built MELR, a web platform for monitoring, evaluation, reporting and learning used by NGOs, ministries, agencies and donors. It embeds the methodological frameworks we have applied in the field for thirty years — from the logical framework to PEFA assessments and OECD-DAC criteria.