Agriculture, cocoa & rural development
Value chains, productivity, smallholder systems and rural transformation.
Research • Intelligence • Innovation
GBOL
Evidence for Better Decisions
We turn research, data and community knowledge into strategic decisions for sustainable impact.
Based in Côte d’Ivoire. Working Across Africa.
Who we are
An African research and intelligence organisation, built for decisions.
GBOL is an African research and intelligence organisation based in Côte d’Ivoire, turning research, data and community knowledge into strategic decisions for sustainable impact. From cocoa value chains to public policy, we combine scientific rigour, field proximity and modern data systems to give decision-makers the evidence they need — and the clarity to act on it.
10+
Years of applied research
6
Service lines
8
Areas of expertise
Pan-African
Reach from Abidjan
Our pillars
Four capabilities, one mission
Research
Applied, mixed-methods research grounded in field realities and academic rigour.
Intelligence
Strategic intelligence, sector monitoring and evidence to anticipate and decide.
Innovation
Data systems, digital tools and AI applied to development challenges.
Capacity
Training and learning that strengthen organisations and field teams.
What we do
Services
Six integrated service lines that take you from question to decision.
GBOL Consulting
Strategic advisory for complex decisions.
GBOL Research
Applied research that stands up to scrutiny.
GBOL MEL & Learning
Monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning.
GBOL Data Lab
From raw data to decision intelligence.
GBOL Academy
Skills that strengthen the ecosystem.
GBOL Advisory
Trusted counsel for leadership.
Where we work
Areas of expertise
Living income & cooperative governance
Living-income strategies, cooperative performance and farmer organisation.
MEL, evaluation & impact measurement
Robust frameworks and independent evidence on what works and why.
Governance & public policy
Institutional analysis, policy design and public-sector strengthening.
Climate resilience
Adaptation, environmental risk and climate-smart development.
Youth, employment & skills
Employability, entrepreneurship and skills for the next generation.
Peace, security & social cohesion
Conflict analysis, prevention and community cohesion.
Digital innovation & data systems
Digital tools, data infrastructure and AI for development.
Why GBOL
Evidence you can build on
Rooted in Africa
Based in Côte d’Ivoire and working across the continent, we understand local realities from the inside.
Scientific rigour
Academic-grade methods applied to real-world, operational questions.
End-to-end
From research design to data systems and capacity building — one trusted partner.
Bilingual & international
We work fluently in English and French, with partners worldwide.
Insights
View all Recent publications
GBOLResearch reports
May 2026 18 min
Living income in Ivorian cocoa: what the latest field data tells us
A mixed-methods study of household income gaps across three cocoa regions and the levers that move the needle.
GBOLPolicy briefs
April 2026 9 min
EUDR readiness: a practical roadmap for cooperatives
Six concrete steps cooperatives can take now to meet EU Deforestation Regulation requirements without losing market access.
GBOLLearning notes
April 2026 7 min
Designing MEL systems that teams actually use
Lessons from building monitoring systems across multi-country programmes — and why simplicity wins.
Let’s turn evidence into better decisions.
Tell us about your challenge. We’ll show you how research, data and intelligence can move it forward.