BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Consortium for Economic Research and Development Studies (CERDS) is a consultancy firm that specializes in project management, economic research, policy analysis, general development studies and capacity building. The firm was established and registered as a business organization in Kenya by the register of companies (Registration Of Business Names Act Number 414452).

The firm is registered with the Income Tax Department (ITD) in Kenya (Personal Identification Number, PIN P051173401H) and complies with all legal statutes of Cap. 499, section 14 of the Registration of Business Names Act. In recognition of the multi-faceted dimensions of governance, policy and the development process, CERDS brings together professionals in the fields of economics, environmental, agricultural and health studies, political science, development studies, and demographics to provide skills and competencies where required to generate informed analyses, responses and solutions to contemporary concerns and challenges in governance, in development, environment, and in policy promulgation and implementation. With our many years of field experience, no work in the economic sector of sub Saharan countries isn’t beyond reach.

Vision

To become the leading centre of excellence in research, development policy analysis and environmental advisory services in Kenya and in East Africa, contributing to the improved welfare of citizens of the region

Mission

To strengthen the links between research, good governance, policy dialogue and development outcomes by undertaking credible and objective policy analysis and research, and sharing the results of such research and analyses with key actors and collaborators in the public, private and civic sectors. CERDS also seeks to function as a resource center providing cutting edge intellectual, technical, informational and research support for government, the private sector, development partners and civil society to understand, interpret and respond creatively to political and economic issues and developments.

Goals And Objectives

  • To take lead in both development and academic research in sub Saharan Africa and contribute to development agenda of kenya and the continent.
  • To strengthen the link between research, Policy dialogue and development.
    To broaden the base of users and uses of data based research findings.
  • To strengthen the capacity of Community Based Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and the private sector to
    engage government in policy dialogue through systematically collected and analyzed data.
  • To improve governance by facilitating the broader participation of citizens in shaping the governance agenda beyond voting in elections.
  • To assist the private and public sectors mainstream environmental management and planning.
  • To strengthen capacity of young and upcoming professionals in policy analysis and research.

Organizational Structure And Resources

Through a core team of five directors and eight associate consultants, the firm has built a strong pool of highly qualified and
experienced human resources that handles multi-disciplinary assignments within the country and in the Eastern, Central and
South African region. In order to ensure easy access to clients, CERDS is located along Waiyaki Way in Mountain View Estate
which is centrally located close to the Central Business District (CBD). The firm has access to information resource centers that
are unmatched and also boasts of excellent information technology equipment, technical and support staff that can handle any
size of assignment whether in Kenya or in the region. CERDS is organized around an advisory board, research associates, research and management staff, programme/research assistants and support staff.

The Firm Advisory Board

Drawn from a pool of leading lights in academia, the private sector, civil society and government, the advisory board is responsible for identifying the general direction and areas of pertinent policy research for the organization. The research advisory board contributes to quality control of research outputs and the recruitment of research personnel engaged in core and sub-contracted research activity, and also identifies candidates for internship.

Consulting Associates

The OVER 300 consulting associates of CERDS typically have cutting edge understanding of their respective specializations and are also established names in research and consultancy. They give CERDS strategic advantage to work in a wide scope of issue areas, and execute assignments from a point of sound knowledge and expertise. The active and readily available CERDS associates work in the following fields/specializations:

  • Development Management and County and Devolution Management Specialists.
  • Project Planning & Management Specialists
  • Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition
  • Environment and Natural Resources management Specialists
  • Monitoring &Evaluation Experts
  • Gender, Women and development Specialists
  • Education and Human Resource Specialist
  • Advocacy and Policy Formulation Specialists
  • Child Labor, Girl Child, Old Age and Vulnerable Groups Specialists
  • Health Sector Development Specialists
  • Community Development Specialists
  • Participatory Development Experts
  • Marketing Analysts and Agriculture Marketing Organization Specialists
  • Micro, Small and medium Enterprise Development Specialists
  • Capacity Building Specialists
  • Conflict Prevention and Peace Building Specialists
  • Business Development Services [BDS]
  • Value Chain Development in Agriculture
  • Land Economist, Real Estate Planning, Value Agency and Real Property Development Specialists
  • Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] Linkage and Grant making Linkage Specialists
  • Agri-processing and value addition services