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The "Road to Innovation" is a how-to guide produced by FSD Africa's Risk, Resilience and Regulatory Lab (R3Lab) designed to help insurance regulators in Africa balance consumer protection with the facilitation of digital innovation. The guide outlines a five-step process for regulators to identify innovation gaps, assess ecosystem barriers, select appropriate regulatory and supervisory tools, implement a workplan, and monitor success to develop more inclusive insurance markets.

The Value for Money (VfM) Framework is a guide developed by FSD Africa to provide a consistent, practical structure for assessing and reporting on how resources are used within the Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) network. It employs an evaluative reasoning approach based on the 'Four Es' (Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Equity) and cost-effectiveness, using predefined criteria and performance standards (rubrics) to make robust judgements from mixed-methods evidence.

This practical guide, developed by FSD Africa in collaboration with Oxford Policy Management, provides a structured framework for Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) programmes to design, assess, and report on Value for Money (VfM). It moves beyond simple indicators to an evaluative approach based on explicit criteria and performance standards across five dimensions: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and equity.

The Youth Enterprise Grants (YEG) pilot project in Mathare, Nairobi, provided approximately $1,200 in grants and smartphones to youth aged 18-35. Findings indicate a significant shift from casual labour to self-employment (37% to 64%) and marked improvements in financial status, with over 75% of recipients reporting income increases. While smartphones proved essential for market access and business skills via social media, specific money management apps like Touch Doh saw low adoption. Mobile money remains the primary tool for financial management, with a strong preference for savings mechanisms that limit immediate liquidity.

The Youth Enterprise Grants (YEG) pilot project was a two-year intervention in Mathare, Nairobi, providing enterprise grants and smartphones to youth aged 18–35 to support their transition from casual labour to self-employment. The project demonstrated that unconditional cash transfers via mobile money are feasible in low-income urban settings and can significantly increase entrepreneurial activity, though the long-term success of micro-businesses remains vulnerable to external shocks and systemic infrastructure gaps.