Impact measurement: 2026

2026 impact measurement = standardized approach. IRIS+ catalogue, GIIN standards, SDG alignment, theory of change. Growing Africa impact investing.

TL;DR

- Impact measurement = standardized approach.

- IRIS+ catalogue, GIIN, SDG alignment.

- Theory of change methodology.

- 50B$ Africa impact AUM.

Frameworks

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IRIS+ (GIIN):

• 700+ standardized metrics
• Sector-specific
• Open-source catalogue

5 Dimensions of Impact:

• WHAT (impacted outcome)
• WHO (stakeholders)
• HOW MUCH (scale, depth, duration)
• CONTRIBUTION (additionality)
• RISK (probability not achieving)

SDG alignment:

• 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Investment → SDG mapping
• Africa SDG Agenda 2063 ambition

Theory of change:

• Inputs → outputs → outcomes → impact
• Logic model
• Explicit assumptions

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Players

Standards :

• GIIN (Global Impact Investing Network)
• IRIS+
• B Lab (B Corp certification)
• GRI

Tools :

• Impact Cloud (Sopact)
• Sopact Impact Measurement
• Akros Africa
• Acumen Lean Data

Africa-focused :

• AAIC (Africa Impact)
• Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs
• Convergence (blended finance)

Africa impact themes

Financial inclusion :

• Mobile money agents (cf S3)
• Lending (cf R18)

Healthcare :

• Telemedicine (cf R6)
• Pharmacy SaaS (cf R6)

Education :

• Edtech (cf S9)
• Bootcamps (cf S4)

Climate :

• Solar PAYG (cf R10)
• Carbon (cf R10)
• Climate agritech (cf R10)

Gender :

• Women entrepreneurs
• Female founders

Youth employment :

• Africa tech jobs
• Skill development

FAQ

Q: Impact measurement reporting fatigue?

A: Yes. IRIS+ standardization + automation tools reduces. Growing Africa LP demands.

Conclusion

2026 impact measurement: IRIS+, GIIN, SDG alignment, theory of change. 50B$ AUM Africa impact investing. Themes: financial inclusion, healthcare, education, climate. Builders: Africa-native impact tools = niche.