Tendai Guvamombe
The African Union Commission (AUC) has signed grant agreements with 13 leading African think tanks, organised into three pan-African consortia, marking the formal launch of the Africa Think Tank Platform (ATTP), a flagship initiative to strengthen evidence-informed policymaking and accelerate implementation of Agenda 2063.
The Africa Think Tank Platform is a five-year, $50 million initiative of the African Union, funded by the World Bank Group and implemented by the African Union Commission in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD).
Under the agreements, a total of $24.2 million will be disbursed in phases to support institutional capacity strengthening, collaborative research, and the production of policy-ready solutions addressing Africa’s most pressing cross-border challenges under the Africa Think Tank Platform (ATTP) Project.
The grants will enable the think tanks to generate actionable policy evidence aligned with Agenda 2063 priorities, supporting Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in translating continental commitments into tangible national and regional outcomes.
The three consortia awarded grants under the initiative are:Research Alliance for Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Development (RAISED), led by the Economic Research Forum (Egypt), with the Partnership for Economic Policy (Kenya) and the Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre (Nigeria).
Consortium for Africa Cross-Border Evidence and Policy Sovereignty (CACEPS), led by the African Population and Health Research Centre (Kenya), with the Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies (Egypt), Centre for Population and Environmental Development (Nigeria), Centro de Integridade Pública (Mozambique), and Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rural (Senegal).
Building Resilience and Impact through Dialogue and Galvanising Action for Evidence-Informed Policymaking (BRIDGE) Africa, coordinated by the African Centre for Economic Transformation (Ghana), with the African Institute for Development Policy (Kenya), Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation (Cameroon), South African Institute of International Affairs (South Africa), and Policy Centre for the New South (Morocco).
Through the initiative, think tanks will produce policy solutions aligned with six strategic thematic areas: economic transformation and governance, regional trade, climate change, food security, human capital development, and digitalization.
“This investment affirms the African Union’s commitment to strengthening Africa’s intellectual infrastructure as a foundation for transformation. By empowering African think tanks to generate high-quality, policy-ready evidence, we are ensuring that Agenda 2063 is driven by African solutions, informed by African expertise, and translated into real and measurable impact for our citizens.
The Africa Think Tank Platform will play a critical role in bridging the gap between continental ambition and national implementation”, remark from H.E. Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission