Researcher & Democracy Advocate
Data for
stronger
democracies
Nyasha McBride Mpani turns pan-African survey data into evidence that amplifies citizens' voices and holds governments to account.
About
I am a researcher and democracy advocate based in South Africa, using data to amplify the voices of ordinary citizens across the continent.
I lead the Data for Governance Alliance Project at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation and serve as an Academic Fellow of the Democracy Development Program. As part of the Afrobarometer network, my work translates large-scale public-opinion surveys into evidence that policymakers and citizens can act on.
A Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy, I have trained members of parliament, civil society, youth, and political parties, and contributed to African Union initiatives on Agenda 2063. I believe research should serve democracy by making governance more transparent, accountable, and responsive to the people it exists for.
6+
Afrobarometer dispatches
4
Countries researched
PhD
Candidate in Philosophy
Background
Credentials &
Experience
Focus & Expertise
Academic Standing
Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophy
Data-Driven Advocacy
Translating large-scale public-opinion surveys into evidence for policy, media, and public debate.
Democratic Governance
Elections, accountability, and citizen participation across Africa.
Research & Communications
Monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and clear communication of findings.
Capacity Building
Training for parliamentarians, civil society, youth, and political parties.
Roles & Affiliations
Project Leader, Data for Governance Alliance
Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
Cape Town, South Africa
Leads a pan-African initiative that uses Afrobarometer survey data to strengthen citizen engagement and accountable governance.
Academic Fellow
Democracy Development Program
Durban, South Africa
Selected to the DDP Academic Fellowship, advancing research and dialogue on democracy and good governance in Africa.
Researcher & Dispatch Author
Afrobarometer Network
Pan-African
Authors dispatches analysing public attitudes on elections, governance, and economic performance across Southern Africa.
Writing & Research
View all on Afrobarometer
Mail & Guardian
August 2025
Africa is speaking. Is anyone listening?
African citizens turn out to vote and take to the streets, yet too many institutions still fail to fold those voices into the decisions that govern their lives.
Afrobarometer
November 2025
Keeping the faith: Zimbabweans support elections, but worry about the process
Dispatch AD1075: most Zimbabweans remain committed to elections as the best way to choose leaders, even as confidence in how polls are run erodes.
More Dispatches
Mozambicans favour multiparty competition but feel distant from political parties
Namibians express confidence in elections, but weakening trust in the electoral commission
South Africans score their government poorly on economic performance
South Africans call on government to deliver solutions to corruption and poor services
Research
My research turns large-scale public-opinion data into evidence that strengthens democratic governance and holds institutions to account across Africa.
Data for Governance
Using Afrobarometer's pan-African surveys to put citizens' voices at the centre of policy and public debate.
Elections & Democracy
Public trust in elections, electoral institutions, and multiparty competition across the continent.
Accountability & Transitional Justice
Government performance, anti-corruption, and research on state torture and transitional justice.
Selected Publications
Let's start a
conversation
I welcome inquiries about research collaborations, data partnerships, speaking engagements, and media.
Based in
Cape Town & Durban, South Africa
Affiliations
Data for Governance Alliance,
Institute for Justice and Reconciliation
Academic Fellow, Democracy Development Program