Know Your World

We Walk With
Our Clients

Most research agencies hand you a report and move on. RBI stays in the conversation. We work across Southern Africa because we know these markets, the consumers, the trade channels, the cultural context that shapes how people respond. That knowledge is what makes our research useful, not just accurate.

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Years in Operation
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Countries
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Projects Delivered
Who We Are

Guided by
Purpose

Research Bureau International was established in Zimbabwe in 1989, at a time when rigorous, locally grounded market research was difficult to access across Southern Africa. The founding team identified a critical gap: organisations were making significant strategic decisions about African consumers using research that did not adequately understand them. RBI was built to close that gap. In the early years, the work centred on FMCG manufacturers and financial institutions, brand tracking, customer surveys, retail audits. The client list grew. So did the geography.

For a significant period, RBI operated within the global WPP Research International network, the forerunner to what is today Kantar. That affiliation shaped our methodological rigour and our understanding of how to maintain research quality at scale. When we became fully independent, we kept the standards and shed the bureaucracy. Today, we operate our own offices in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Botswana, with research partnerships active across more than a dozen African markets. We remain headquartered in Harare. Independent. In-house. And still running every project ourselves.

01
Professionalism & Integrity
Reliable delivery. Clear communication. If a problem arises in your project, you hear it from us before you discover it yourself. Rigorous quality control is not a differentiator, it is a baseline requirement for work that is worth commissioning.
02
Methodological Rigour
We apply the right methodology to every brief, not the easiest or cheapest. Our research instruments are designed to surface truth, not confirm assumptions.
03
Local Expertise, Global Standards
Deep roots in Southern African markets combined with partnerships and practices aligned to international research standards.
04
Actionable Intelligence
We do not deliver data dumps. Every report is written with strategic implications and clear recommendations that clients can act on immediately.
Mission
What We Are Here to Do
To implement a fresh approach to knowledge delivery, focused on solutions, delivered with speed and accuracy, everywhere, every time. We exist to equip our clients with the insights they need to make confident, high-impact decisions across Southern Africa’s diverse and dynamic markets.
Vision
Where We Are Going
To be the most trusted and capable market research partner in Southern and Eastern Africa, the first call for any organisation that needs to understand its markets, its customers, or its competitive landscape.
Our Approach
How We Work
All aspects of every project, from proposal through fieldwork to final presentation are executed in-house by RBI’s own specialists. We have adopted a fully digital research methodology, ensuring data accuracy, speed, and auditability across all our markets.
Our Story

Three Decades of
Building

From a single-office start-up in Harare to a multi-country research operation, the milestones that shaped RBI.

  1. 1989
    Founded in Harare, Zimbabwe
    Research Bureau International is established with a founding team committed to bringing professional, rigorous market research to the Zimbabwean business community. First clients include FMCG manufacturers and financial institutions seeking consumer insight in a rapidly evolving economy.
    Founding Year
  2. 1996
    Regional Expansion Begins
    RBI establishes its first cross-border research capability, extending operations into Botswana and Zambia. Multi-country syndicated studies become a core service offering for clients operating across the region.
    Regional Growth
  3. 2003
    Health & Development Practice Launched
    RBI formalises its public health and development research practice, completing its first KAP study for an international health organisation. This marks the beginning of a long-running partnership with UCSF and NOIC.
    New Practice Area
  4. 2009
    Full Southern African Footprint Achieved
    RBI completes its geographic expansion, establishing dedicated field research teams in Malawi, Mozambique, and Namibia, giving the company a direct operational presence in all six of its current markets.
    Geographic Milestone
  5. 2015
    Digital-First Research Transformation
    RBI completes a wholesale transition to digital data collection. CAPI, CATI, and CAWI methodologies replace paper-based fieldwork entirely. Data quality, turnaround times, and reporting capabilities all improve significantly.
    Digital Transformation
  6. 2020
    Remote & Online Research Capability
    In response to COVID-19 restrictions, RBI rapidly scales its online qualitative and quantitative capability, maintaining uninterrupted service for clients across all markets throughout the pandemic period.
    Resilience & Innovation
  7. 2024
    37 Years — and Still Growing
    As RBI enters its 37th year, the company continues to expand its service offering, deepen sector expertise, and invest in the talent and technology that will define the next chapter. The founding commitment to rigour, speed, and client partnership remains unchanged.
    Present Day
Partnerships & Affiliations

Stronger Through
Collaboration

RBI’s work is enriched by a network of institutional partnerships that bring complementary expertise, international credibility, and expanded geographic reach to our client engagements.

WPP
Research International / WPP Heritage
Research Partner
RBI's former affiliation with Research International, the global WPP research group that became Kantar, is not merely historical context. It is where our quality frameworks and methodological standards were established. Those foundations continue to inform how we work.
PAN
Pan-African Research Partners
Regional Field & Execution Partners
We maintain active working relationships with vetted research agencies across Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, and other markets. Multi-country studies run smoothly because these partnerships are built on trust and shared standards, not on whoever is available.
NGOs
Development Sector Partners
Execution Partners
RBI has worked alongside international NGOs, bilateral development organisations, and academic institutions on public health, social research, and programme evaluation work across the region.
Standards & Accreditations

Committed to
Best Practice

RBI operates in accordance with international market research standards and industry codes of conduct, ensuring our research is not only rigorous, but ethical and responsible.

These memberships and accreditations provide clients with assurance that every engagement is conducted with the highest standards of respondent care, data integrity, and professional conduct.

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ESOMAR
RBI adheres to ESOMAR’s International Code of Market, Opinion and Social Research, the global standard for ethical research practice and respondent protection.
✓ Compliant
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SAMRA
Member of the Southern African Marketing Research Association — engaged with regional best practice, industry development, and professional standards.
✓ Member
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Data Protection
All respondent data is collected, stored, and processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and client confidentiality agreements.
✓ Compliant
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ISO-Aligned QA
RBI’s internal quality assurance processes are aligned to ISO 20252, the international standard for market, opinion and social research.
✓ Aligned

Ready to work with a team that knows these markets?

Tell us about your research challenge. Free initial consultation, no obligation.

Get in Touch
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