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AI for Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Bootcamp 

This 2-day free in-person workshop will equip participants to think critically about AI, evaluate where it genuinely adds value to MERL workflows, and apply it responsibly. We will cover two key aspects: 1) how to apply AI to support tasks along the MERL lifecycle, and 2) how to conduct MERL of AI-enabled efforts (such as chatbots in health or agriculture).

Moving well beyond theory, participants will leave with hands-on experience using real AI tools, a sharper understanding of the risks, and a clear ethical framework to guide their decisions. Apply here to join us on May 18-19, 2026, in Nairobi.

Who is this course for

This workshop is designed by The MERL Tech Initiative for professionals who work in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) roles across the international development, humanitarian, and social impact sectors. It is particularly relevant for 

  • M&E officers, advisors, and managers seeking to understand AI’s practical relevance to their work
  • MERL leads and directors responsible for guiding organisational data and learning strategies 
  • programme staff who commission or use evaluation findings 
  • researchers and data analysts exploring AI-assisted approaches
  • consultants or independent evaluators wanting to stay ahead of sector trends.

Level of AI Expertise: Beginner to Intermediate 

Level of MERL Expertise: Intermediate

What Participants Will Learn

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Define key AI concepts and distinguish between different types of AI relevant to MERL
  • Critically evaluate AI tools and assess whether they are appropriate for specific tasks and contexts
  • Identify practical applications of Generative AI across the MERL cycle 
  • Apply prompt engineering techniques to extract reliable, useful outputs from AI systems
  • Recognise the risks of AI adoption, including bias, hallucination, data privacy, and dependency, and apply mitigation strategies
  • Navigate the ethical dimensions of AI use in development settings, including issues of consent, representation, and accountability
  • Make informed decisions about AI adoption (if at all) in their own MERL systems and workflows
  • Adopt frameworks and approaches for monitoring and evaluating the use of AI in programs

Course Topics 

  • Introduction to key AI terms and concepts 
  • Overview of AI uses and AI use in the MERL sector
  • Introduction to monitoring and evaluation of AI systems
  • GenAI tools and applications for MERL
  • Risks, ethics, and best practices
  • Hands-on experimentation with AI tools for social impact
  • Prompt engineering for MERL practitioners
  • Frameworks for MERL of AI Programmes

Space is limited, so if you’re planning to be in Nairobi then, and you’d like to join, be sure to submit your application for the workshop by April 24, 2026. 

Apply

Get to know the facilitators

Varaidzo Faith Magodo-Matimba

Vari (she/her) is a pan-African feminist lawyer, decolonial funding advocate, and curator of the inaugural Afrofeminist Data Museum. She holds an Executive Postgraduate Diploma in Development Policies and Practices from the Geneva Graduate Institute. Her work focuses on human rights program design at the intersection of feminist tech policy, data governance, and digital inclusion in Africa. She has supported movement building, strategy, governance, compliance, and resource mobilization across West, Southern, and Eastern Africa. Vari is MTI’s AI in Africa lead.

Emeka Nwankwo

Emeka (he/him) has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of strategy and evaluation, with a particular focus on innovative ways to assess impact and causality, and to understand the social returns of financing and blended investments. A central thread in his work is redefining what success and impact mean across different cultural contexts. After leaving the Mastercard Foundation in 2023 as Director of Impact (Country Programmes), he now advises development agencies, philanthropies, and governments on strengthening cultures of inquiry, evidence, learning, and accountability. Emeka provides MTI with strategic advisory and quality assurance on MEL.

Linda Raftree

Linda (she/her) founded the MERL Tech Initiative (MTI) in 2014, building on two decades of work at the intersection of community development, gender, youth participatory media, rights-based approaches, and digital development. She is a well-known expert on responsible data approaches, AI policy and governance, inclusive digital approaches, safeguarding, and safe tech-enabled program design, and MERL Tech. Linda excels at organizational and sector strategy in times of political flux and technological change. She runs sector-wide convenings through MTI and the New York City Technology Salon, which she started in 2011. Linda is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP & CIPM). She also serves on CDAC’s SAFE AI Pool of Experts and teaches AI and MERL at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Linda leads and manages MTI overall, joins MTI teams for specific projects, and takes on independent projects in her areas of expertise.