Through a flexible Helpdesk model, the TCoE provides rapid, demand-driven technical support to support inclusive, sustainable and responsible technological transformation. The TCoE Helpdesk offers short-term technical assistance across a range of thematic areas, including artificial intelligence, digital governance, digital public infrastructure, cyber resilience, climate, engineering biology, technology ecosystem development, and the responsible and inclusive use of technology.

The Helpdesk model — which Results for Development pioneered — is designed to provide flexible and responsive support tailored to country needs. Drawing on a combination of independent specialists and institutional partners from the UK and globally, the TCoE can rapidly mobilise technical expertise with both sectoral and contextual knowledge relevant to country priorities and emerging opportunities. The TCoE helps translate expertise and evidence into actionable support for development objectives, including supporting policy development, capacity building and strengthening institutions, and enabling longer-terms systems change.

During its pilot phase (January – March 2026), the TCoE Helpdesk provided support for initiatives related to AI ecosystem mapping, innovation cluster development, and digital health and AI landscape analysis, demonstrating the value of rapid access to specialist expertise and building the foundations for future partnerships.

Building on the pilot phase, the TCoE is now expanding its support across a broader range of countries and thematic areas (see below) through March 2027. The model is intended to support more connected, responsive, and collaborative approaches to science and technology engagement across the FCDO network.

Thematic Areas:

• AI, digital, data & tech governance
• Addressing the gender digital divide & standards
• Tech start-up sector growth
• Accessible, responsible, ethical & inclusive use of technology
• Engineering biology
• Digital public infrastructure
• Environment​ & climate
• Cyber-resilience and space

R4D is proud to partner with FCDO on the delivery of the Tech Community of Expertise and help connect partner countries with expertise and practical support that contributes to inclusive, sustainable and responsible technological transformation and development outcomes.

The post R4D to support delivery of rapid, on-demand technology expertise appeared first on Results for Development.

Adaora has led and contributed to high-impact initiatives that strengthen health systems, accelerate digital innovation and expand access to quality health care across Africa. In her most recent leadership role, she designed and implemented digital health and AI-enabled programs that improved patient-centered care for people living with chronic and routine health conditions while leading multicountry capacity-building initiatives that have reached more than 16,000 health care workers, managers and policymakers. She has also spearheaded innovative models that combine digital technologies, human-centered support and sustainable financing to improve continuity of care, health literacy and equitable access to health care.

Previously, Adaora led the Nigeria Health Innovation Marketplace, bringing together government, development partners, investors and health innovators to accelerate scalable health solutions. She designed innovation acceleration and investment readiness programs that helped health ventures secure more than US$1 million in funding and expand services to more than 280,000 beneficiaries. She also curated innovations that formed part of Nigeria’s investment case for the Global Financing Facility. A Commonwealth Professional Fellow, she continues to advance the responsible adoption of AI and digital transformation in health systems through user-centered design, policy engagement and implementation support.

Adaora serves as a board adviser to Hillbridge Consulting. She holds a Master of Science in public health from the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science in applied microbiology from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria. She also holds PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner certifications, a Project Management in Global Health certification from the University of Washington, and was awarded a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship.

Publications

• Baldridge et al. Formative Evaluation and Adaptation of a Hypertension Extension for Community Health Outcomes Program for Healthcare Workers within the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Global Heart Journal of the World Heart Federation (2023).
• Baldridge et al. Enhancing Hypertension Education of Community Health Extension Workers in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory: the impact of the extension for community healthcare outcomes model on primary care, a quasi-experimental study. BMC Primary Care (2024).
• Baldridge et al. Implementation of the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes Model for Hypertension Education of Frontline Health Care Workers in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria: Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Evaluation. JMIR Publications (2025).

The post Adaora Odukwe appeared first on Results for Development.

Through this engagement R4D will consult with a wide range of government and private actors in each country to understand current processes, partnerships and assets for scaling up innovations that enhance agricultural productivity and performance. The findings will inform new World Bank investments and operations in both countries, including the Bank’s upcoming AgriConnect Compact with the Government of Ethiopia.

R4D brings deep experience supporting African governments to strengthen innovation ecosystems and scale high-impact solutions. This includes its ongoing partnership with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, its leadership of the FCDO-funded Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund, its support to national innovation ministries in Nigeria and Ghana under the Sankore program, and the co-development of the Mountain Model for public sector innovation scaling used by the governments of Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

“We are excited at the opportunity to continue expanding our work supporting governments and their country partners to surface and synthesize insights informing locally owned strategies for strengthening agricultural systems. This is a timely opportunity to look at how to modernize agricultural practices and equip farmers with the latest innovations to help them thrive in challenging climate and economic environments,” said Thomas Feeny, R4D UK country director and Scaling Innovation Practice lead at R4D.

This initial phase of the program is expected to run through July 2026.

###

About R4D

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading nonprofit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — supporting them as they navigate complex change processes to achieve large-scale, lasting outcomes in health, education and nutrition. We work with country leaders to diagnose challenges, co-create, innovate and implement solutions built on evidence and stakeholder input. We also support them to engage in learning to adapt, iterate and improve the efficacy of programs. At the same time, we are working to strengthen global, regional and country ecosystems that support country leaders with expertise, evidence, and innovations. R4D helps country leaders solve their immediate challenges today, while also strengthening systems and institutions to address tomorrow’s challenges. And we share what we learn so others around the world can achieve results for development too. www.R4D.org

The post R4D partners with World Bank to strengthen food systems innovation in Ethiopia and Lesotho appeared first on Results for Development.

Shayan is a program associate on the Innovation team at Results for Development, where he works across the Frontier Tech Hub and the Million Lives Collective. He contributes to program management, research, stakeholder engagement and monitoring, evaluation and learning to help ensure promising innovations scale into real-world impact.

He has worked as a consultant, researcher and analyst across global health, climate adaptation and innovation financing. Prior to joining R4D, Shayan was an impact consultant at Value for Good, where he supported the design of governance models to help scale donor-funded NGOs, managed impact analyses for local support programs and contributed to social return on investment studies.

Shayan has also worked with impact investment firms and development organizations on innovation and market analysis. As a private equity adviser, he assessed medical and climate startup ecosystems across East Africa to guide foreign investment strategy and startup selection. Across various roles he has supported global solar energy scale-up initiatives, taxation policy analysis for Agence Française de Développement, and climate adaptation strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier in his career, Shayan worked with international development organizations, including GIZ and Population Services International, supporting project coordination, research, proposal development and stakeholder engagement across multicountry programs in health, climate and private-sector development.

Shayan holds an MSc in development studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in English, German and Farsi, with working proficiency in Spanish.

The post Shayan Navab appeared first on Results for Development.

Dr. Zelalem is a program officer at Results for Development (R4D), where he supports the design and implementation of health system innovation and quality initiatives within the Ethiopia country office. He focuses on translating research into actionable policy by developing high-quality technical deliverables, facilitating capacity-building workshops for Ministry of Health staff, and leveraging monitoring and evaluation data to scale health care innovations across various regions of Ethiopia.

Throughout his career, Dr. Zelalem has focused on institutionalizing health care quality and fostering a national culture of innovation within Ethiopia. As the national health innovation program lead at the Ministry of Health, he spearheaded the development of the Ethiopian National Health Innovation Guide and the National Health Innovation Demand Articulation and Ecosystem Map, creating the first comprehensive framework for mapping and scaling health ecosystems in the country. He also successfully coordinated the National System Bottlenecks Focused Reform (SBFR), a systems innovation initiative across 42 hospitals nationwide, establishing the performance indicators and monitoring frameworks necessary to resolve systemic service delivery challenges.

Before joining R4D, Dr. Zelalem served as the national health innovation program lead at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, where he spearheaded the development of national frameworks to scale health care solutions. Previously, as quality director at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, he led the development of an in-house electronic medical record system, making the institution one of Ethiopia’s first paper-free public hospitals — a solution that has since scaled to over 80 health facilities. His career also includes clinical leadership as a case team coordinator at the Armed Forces Referral and Teaching Hospital.

Dr. Zelalem holds a Master of Science in Health Care Quality from Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Jimma University. He speaks English and Amharic.

The post Bereket Zelalem appeared first on Results for Development.