As development needs continue to grow and available resources face increasing pressure, the Sawiris Foundation and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Middle East and North Africa at the American University in Cairo (J-PAL MENA at AUC) brought together leaders from the private and banking sectors, development and donor organizations, as well as researchers and development experts, to address an increasingly important question: How can social investments be directed toward interventions that have the greatest potential to deliver meaningful and lasting change?
The discussion took place during the “Evidence-Driven Impact” convening, which explored how research evidence and results measurement can be embedded into social investment decisions, enabling companies, banks and donor organizations to allocate their resources more effectively.
Discussions highlighted the importance of moving beyond measuring initiatives solely by the amount of funding deployed or the number of beneficiaries reached, and instead focusing on the actual change achieved, its sustainability and the efficiency of resource use. Participants also examined how partnerships between the private sector, development organizations, research institutions and government entities can bring together funding, expertise and knowledge to test scalable solutions and extend their reach.
During the convening, the Sawiris Foundation shared its experience in using evidence, evaluation and continuous learning to strengthen its programs, reassess interventions that do not deliver the expected results and build on approaches that demonstrate effectiveness.
The Foundation highlighted its Bab Amal Program as a practical example of this evidence-driven approach. The program combines economic and social support, livelihood development and intensive household follow-up, while drawing on research and evaluation findings to continuously refine its model. To date, Bab Amal has reached approximately 14,000 families and contributed to a three- to fourfold increase in the value of household assets after 40 months, demonstrating the role evidence and data can play in strengthening program design, improving implementation and supporting sustainable impact.
The convening was attended by representatives of Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity, including Engy El Yamany, Executive Director of the Rural and Environmental Industries Support Fund (REIS), and Reem Abdel Latif, Monitoring and Evaluation Consultant for the Takaful and Karama Cash Transfer Program. Their participation reflected the diversity of institutions and expertise contributing to the discussion on how social investments can be directed toward more effective and measurable interventions.
The event also featured an open panel discussion bringing together four perspectives from the private sector and civil society. The panel included Mariam Allam, Founder and Board Member of the Essam & May Allam Foundation for Sustainable Development; Shams Owais, Government Relations and Partnerships Director for North Africa, the Levant and Türkiye at Mars; Nahla Mokhtar Agour, Corporate Affairs, Engagement & Sustainability Director at L’Oréal Egypt; and Manal Hassan, Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Elsewedy Electric. The discussion drew on their experiences in leveraging resources, partnerships and knowledge to generate more effective social and development impact.
J-PAL MENA also presented research and evaluations across different development sectors, demonstrating how accumulated global and regional evidence can support institutional decision-making. The sessions explored ways to bridge the gap between research and implementation and translate research findings into practical tools that institutions can use to design programs and guide social investment decisions.
Laila Hosny, Executive Director of the Sawiris Foundation, said: “As development needs continue to grow while resources remain limited, directing funding toward the most effective interventions becomes essential. At the Sawiris Foundation, we use evidence and measurement as an integral part of our decision-making process to understand what delivers meaningful results, what needs to be improved and where scaling can multiply impact.”
She added: “We view partnerships as a way to bring together complementary capabilities and expertise, rather than simply sharing funding. Combining implementation experience, research, financing, technology and the capacity to scale allows us to translate knowledge into better decisions and build more effective and sustainable interventions.”
Dr. Ahmed Elsayed, Executive Director of J-PAL Middle East and North Africa, said: “Every social program starts with good intentions, and everyone who funds or manages one wants to know whether it is truly making a difference. At J-PAL MENA, our mission is to help answer this question based on scientific evidence rather than assumptions. The impact evaluations we conduct rely on rigorous scientific methodologies, particularly randomized controlled trials, and do more than tell us whether a program works; they also help us understand why it works, for whom and at what cost. When organizations integrate reliable scientific evidence into the way they design and fund their programs, every pound spent can generate greater impact, and the resulting change becomes measurable, credible and scalable.”
The convening concluded with a discussion on the practical steps institutions can take to integrate evidence more systematically into their decision-making—from defining the problem before selecting an intervention and examining existing research and previous experience, to establishing clear outcome indicators, learning from implementation and applying those insights to future decisions.
The “Evidence-Driven Impact” convening forms part of the ongoing collaboration between the Sawiris Foundation and J-PAL MENA to strengthen the use of research and evaluation in development practice, bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation, and support institutions in directing their resources toward interventions that are more effective and scalable.
