Africa Policy Research Institute

Africa Policy Research Institute
Name	Africa Policy Research Institute
Formation	2010s
Type	Think tank
Location	Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Accra
Focus	African policy research, governance, public policy

Africa Policy Research Institute

The Africa Policy Research Institute is a Nairobi-registered think tank engaging policymakers in Addis Ababa, Abuja, Accra, Kigali, Dakar and capitals across South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia. It contributes to debates shaped by actors in African Union, United Nations, ECOWAS, East African Community, African Development Bank and bilateral partners such as United Kingdom, United States, China, France and Germany. Its staff and fellows have backgrounds connected to institutions including Oxford University, Harvard University, University of Cape Town, Makerere University, University of Nairobi, Yale University, Stanford University, SOAS University of London and London School of Economics.

Overview

The Institute conducts comparative policy analysis drawing on fieldwork in regions such as the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Great Lakes Region, Southern Africa and the Maghreb, producing outputs used by actors like World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Development Programme, African Union Commission and national ministries in Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. Its agenda intersects with initiatives led by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Foundation, Norwegian Refugee Council and regional bodies including SADC, ECOWAS and IGAD.

History and Development

Founded in the 2010s, the Institute emerged amid debates following events such as the Arab Spring, the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Mali War (2012–present), and reforms in South Sudan and Sudan after the 2018–2019 protests. Early collaborators included figures from African Union Commission delegations, scholars linked to Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Chatham House, Brookings Institution, and practitioners from International Crisis Group, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Save the Children and CARE International. Over time it expanded from policy briefs to convenings attended by delegates from European Union External Action Service, United Nations Security Council missions, national legislatures in Nigeria National Assembly, Kenyan Parliament, and civil society coalitions like Pan African Lawyers Union.

Mission and Research Areas

The Institute’s mission emphasizes evidence-based policy advising on topics resonant with actors such as African Union frameworks, Sustainable Development Goals, and regional strategies by African Development Bank. Core research streams reference historical and contemporary cases including Rwandan genocide, Liberian Civil War, Angolan civil war, Somali Civil War, and transitions like Tunisia's post-2011 politics. The Institute focuses on governance in contexts of peacekeeping operations by United Nations peacekeeping, security-sector reform related to African Standby Force, development policy aligned with Agenda 2063, fiscal policy influencing relations with Paris Club, and infrastructure diplomacy involving projects like those under Belt and Road Initiative.

Organizational Structure

The Institute is governed by a Board with members drawn from academia, diplomacy and civil society, featuring former officials from missions such as United Nations Mission in South Sudan, former diplomats with postings to European Union, United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and scholars affiliated with Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Johns Hopkins University. Its research teams include country directors for Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana and regional leads for the Sahel and Horn of Africa. Operational units coordinate field programs with partner NGOs like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Transparency International, and regional research centers such as African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes.

Publications and Outputs

Outputs include policy briefs, working papers, and peer-reviewed articles engaging literatures found in journals like African Affairs, Journal of Modern African Studies, Third World Quarterly, International Affairs, and Journal of Peace Research. The Institute organizes conferences and seminars with speakers from African Union Commission, United Nations Development Programme, World Health Organization, and produces comparative datasets used by International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and academic groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and London School of Economics. It has published analyses on case studies including Ethiopian–Eritrean border conflict, Democratic Republic of the Congo conflict, Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency, and policy lessons drawn from Botswana and Mauritius.

Partnerships and Funding

The Institute partners with multilateral organizations such as United Nations, African Development Bank, European Union delegations, and research networks like Council on Foreign Relations and African Research Universities Alliance. Funding sources have included philanthropic donors like Open Society Foundations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, bilateral aid agencies such as Department for International Development, United States Agency for International Development, and research grants from bodies like Economic and Social Research Council and Norwegian Research Council.

Impact and Reception

Its work has informed policy discussions in forums like United Nations General Assembly debates, regional summits of the African Union, ECOWAS mediation processes, and parliamentary hearings in Kenya and Ghana. Reviews by commentators at Chatham House, Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and citations in academic publications attest to its influence, while critiques from activists associated with Pan-African Congress and some civil society coalitions have questioned donor relationships and policy prescriptions.

Category:Think tanks