Category Archives: Qualitative Research

How we carry out Qualitative Research

We have the capability of carrying out qualitative research throughout Africa. We have a capable team who manages Focus Groups Discussions, in-depth Interviews, and Ethnographies aka Observations. We are open to customized qualitative research including workshops, mini-groups, and triads among other methodologies ad techniques. Our qualitative team will help recruit, moderate, transcribe and translate and write insightful reports for you.

Qualitative is mostly exploratory in nature.

Though very subjective, it is ideal to use qualitative research at this stage because:

  • It provides a creative, interactive forum
  • The interviews and sessions are free-ranging hence enabling respondents to explore their actions and decision-making process
  • Respondents can therefore use the discussion format to identify their needs, motivation drivers, and expectations
  • Qualitative also allow for the use of projective techniques, which enable respondents to loosen up as well as overcome problems related to verbalization

Sampling for the qualitative research phase

AfriQSense develops a sample of between 4 and 8 Focus group discussions distributed across different parts of a country. In qualitative research, we also carry out in-depth interviews among key stakeholders such as distributors, wholesalers, and retailers.

Others who may be included in the qualitative research are industry experts and opinion makers as well as civil servants. For example, if the product in question is a new mobile phone application such as money transfer, it would be ideal to talk:

  • Civil servants in the country’s Ministry of Communication. Such as regulatory authority’s employees. Additionally, interviews are carried out among revenue collectors, and other civil servants of interest.
  • Furthermore, we will also have key informant interviews with telecommunication opinion formers such as journalists who write about telecommunication articles. Other opinion formers are university and college lecturers teaching in the telecommunication colleges and departments.
  • Still using our example of telecommunication, other depth interviews are carried among the value chain players such as existing telecommunication products and service distributors, wholesalers, and retailers.

Consumers’ interviews are generally done through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). In this step, between 4 and 8 FGDs are distributed across the country, in both major urban centers and their adjacent rural areas.  The Focus Groups’ age groups are distributed as so are gender and social classes.

The respondents included in the FGDs are drawn from current users of any existing product that resembles the new proposed product, non-users, and rejecters of such products. We also ensure that the sample is drawn from subscribers of telecommunication players in the country.

Additionally, observation sessions can be added to the repertoire of the study.

Once all that is done, a screener, also known as a recruitment questionnaire is developed, which helps in the recruitment of the right respondents.  The discussion guides are developed and translated to the local language. Moderators are identified; the briefing of both the recruitment team and moderators is done and the data collection phase kicks off.

The data gathering process can be either face-to-face or through phone interviews. Additionally, technologies such as Zoom are used to allow the clients to view the proceeding, especially for FGDs. All depth interviews and FGDs are recorded; however, this is done with the respondent’s consent.

AfriQSense Types of Sampling

What is sampling?

Sampling is a method which helps researchers save time and money through carefully selecting representative of a specific population. Sampling is common in surveys or quantitative research. With sampling, a marketing or a social researcher conveniently gets information about a population by only interviewing a small subset of the population. This way they can tell what percentage of deodorant users are loyal to brand X.

Furthermore in polling it is possible for a researcher to deduct that a certain percentage of the population with vote mostly to candidate A. Imagine how impractical and costly it would be if the researcher were to ask all the voters who they will vote for in the forthcoming election. Apart from inconvenience of interviewing the entire population, such a task would impossible to accomplish. It is expensive to reach the entire population and even governments carry out national wide census every ten years.

Sampling is therefore a scientific process. There rigorous mathematical process of drawing a sample.  The process used must ensure that each selected subject is representative of the entire population.

There are two types of sampling procedures. These are probability sampling and non-probability sampling.

How AfriQSense does probability sampling

The probability sampling is also known as random sampling. In this process, a complete sampling frame from the target population is created. Assuming is a general population survey to determine religious practice in country X, the sampling frame will the country’s latest population census as long as the data has religious information. The sample is then stratified using administrative divisions. For example in country like Democratic Republic of Congo, the population will stratified based on  the country’s administrative divisions as shown in the table below.

The sample will first be shared by 25 provinces and the city-province of Kinshasa. Each of the provinces will get a share of the sample according to its population. For example, according to macrotrends, metro or city-province Kinshasa or has an estimated population of 14,342,000 as of 2020. According to worldometers, the Democratic Republic of Congo has a 89,561,403 as of 2020. Therefore, the Kinshasa’s population accounts for 16% of the population. Consequently if our national sample is 1000, then 160 of the respondents will be drawn from Kinshasa. The 160 will then be distributed into the city’s four districts, namely Funa, Lukunga, Mont Amba and Tshangu districts based on their population share.

Each of the districts is further divided into municipalities or communes and so will be our sample, this too will be based on each of the commune share of the population. However, to ensure that we do not spread the sample thin, not all the municipalities or communes will have a sample. For example, we may have 5 interviews for each Primary Sampling Units (PSU) which means that the 160 interviews once shared by the districts, the municipalities or communes will be selected randomly and the sample shared by the selected units.  This helps in saving cost. Each PSU is work for a day for each interviewer. Similar process will be repeated in each of the other 25 provinces. Such is an example of a Stratified sampling, a type of random or probability sampling. There are several types of probability sampling. These are:

  1. Simple random sampling
  2. Systematic sampling
  3. Stratified sampling
  4. Clustered sampling

How AfriQSense does non-probability sampling

The non-probability sampling is preferred by some since probability sampling is time consuming which means it’s more costly. Non-probability or non-random sampling does not require a sampling frame. This reduces representation since all the members of a population do not have equal chance of being selected. The risk in this type of sampling is that it is not representative and hence cannot help in generalization. Advantages of non-random sampling are in its convenience and lower cost. This type of sampling is used in exploratory studies or when clients want to generate hypothesis. Examples of non-probability sampling are:

  1. Convenience sampling
  2. Quota sampling
  3. Purposive or Judgement Sampling mainly used in qualitative research
  4. Snowball sampling

We work with clients to ensure that sampling for each research meets the objective of the study. Contact us for your research fieldwork in Africa

AfriQSense multi-countries research capability

AfriQSense Research and Insight Limited is a leading multi-countries research agency. We have partners across 54 countries in Africa. Our job is to ensure that marketing and social research projects in Africa are done with one single objective. This single minded philosophy is to provide accurate, precise, and insightful results to our treasured clients.

When you work with us, you are sure that our field team is made of specific countries local people. This way, we ensure valid and real feedback. Consequently, this enables our clients to achieve their desired results. Leading to a win – win business growth for us and our clients.

AfriQSense offers full-service qualitative and quantitative research services for the end client. Additionally, we offer field and tabs services for other research agencies from across the globe.

If you want to have a fieldwork partner for your social and marketing research projects in Africa, then we are here for you. Just contact us for a quote, advisory, or project.

AfriQSense is part of Afrikaiq.com; a leading online encyclopedia and reference center for African insights and opportunities.

We are committed to offering flexible and customized services to our clients. Our services are seamlessly and work effectively across all the countries in Africa. This way, we are able to offer our clients one command center for multi-countries projects. This makes it easier and manageable, hence leading to reliable and insightful results.

Please contact us if you have any research fieldwork in Africa.

Below is a list of the African countries that AfriQSense covers:

1Algeria
2Democratic Republic of the Congo
3Sudan
4Libya
5Chad
6Niger
7Angola
8Mali
9South Africa
10Ethiopia
11Mauritania
12Egypt 
13Tanzania
14Nigeria
15Namibia
16Mozambique
17Zambia
18South Sudan
19Somalia
20Central African Republic
21Madagascar
22Botswana
23Kenya
24Cameroon
25Morocco
26Zimbabwe
27Republic of the Congo
28Côte d’Ivoire
29Burkina Faso
30Gabon
31Guinea
32Ghana
33Uganda
34Senegal
35Tunisia
36Malawi
37Eritrea
38Benin
39Liberia
40Sierra Leone
41Togo
42Guinea-Bissau
43Lesotho
44Equatorial Guinea
45Burundi
46Rwanda
47Djibouti
48Swaziland
49Gambia
50Cape Verde
51Comoros
52Mauritius
53São Tomé and Príncipe
54Seychelles

Do you have a fieldwork project in any of the above-mentioned countries? Then feel free to Contact Us for a quote.

What we do

We have the capacity to conduct large and simultaneous social and market research projects while adding value to our clients.

Our range of service includes:

  • Face to Face interviews
  • In-depth interviews
  • Focus Groups Discussions
  • Telephone interviews
  • Mobile phone interviews
  • Online interviews

Our team and partners have experience spanning across the following categories:

  • Medical
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail
  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Transport
  • Social economic

Types of studies we carry out include:

  • Social and Political Studies
    • Opinion polling
    • Political research
    • Religious Research
    • Social Economic evaluation and impact studies
  • Marketing Research
    • Product testing
    • Branding Studies
    • Usage and Attitude studies
    • Pricing Studies
  • Satisfaction Studies
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Employees Satisfaction
    • Mystery Shopping
  • Contact us if you have:
  • Marketing research
  • Social research
  • Religious research
  • Political research and opinion polling

Do you have a Marketing or Social Research or Fieldwork in any African Country/Countries? List of the Countries we cover

Feel Free to Contact Us