The Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR) took part in the 9th African Population Conference (APC), held from May 20^th to 24^th, 2024 at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe. The event brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss critical population issues and explore strategies for sustainable development in Africa.

During the conference, IPOR’s Research Associate, Funny Muthema, presented a co-authored paper titled: “What it takes to have a successful telephone interview: Experience from the Malawi Rapid Mortality Mobile Phone Survey (RaMMPS)”, which showcased cutting-edge methodologies for successfully gathering high-quality data, especially in challenging environments.

In the presentation, Muthema highlighted that one of the main advantages of conducting telephone surveys is that it is relatively cheaper than face-to-face interviews. She emphasized that with well-trained enumerators, and observance of the requisite socio-cultural processes, telephone interviews collect high quality data just like any other data collection methods.

Out of this collaborative project, five more papers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Malawi were presented during the conference.

IPOR's active involvement in the 9th APC reinforces its role as a leading research institution in Malawi and its commitment to contributing to building a better society in Malawi and even beyond.