By Ernest Nutsugah
Accra, July 25, GNA – The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and key partners, has launched an initiative to strengthen the research capacity of African think tanks.
The competitive “Call for Proposals” under the Africa Think Tank Platform (ATTP) invites a consortia of three to five African think tanks, which would be selected to receive grants of approximately US$10 million for up to two and a half years.
Among other objectives, the funding intends to support programmes aligned with the aspirations of African Union Agenda 2063 and regional integration priorities.
Thematic areas include economic transformation and governance, climate change, regional trade, food security, human capital development, and digitalisation.
The ATTP is a five-year $50 million initiative implemented by the AUC and supported by the African Capacity Building Foundation and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), with funding from the World Bank.
Speaking during the virtual launch at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ms Selma Malika Haddadi, the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), called for more support for policy think tanks on the continent to enable them to contribute to shaping governance and the development agenda.
“In advancing our vision of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, we must recognise that think tanks and policy institutes are not peripheral actors. They are essential institutions that must be fully integrated into our governance architecture.
“Their contribution is indispensable in ensuring that our policies are evidence-based, context specific, and oriented toward impact. It is, therefore, incumbent upon our Member States to create the enabling environments required to sustain such institutions,” she stated.
Ms Haddadi described the initiative as “a strategic investment in Africa’s ability to lead its own policy conversations with rigour, data, and indigenous expertise.”
“ATTP seeks to strengthen the interface between policy formulation and African-led research. It is a response to a longstanding imperative to embed data and analysis at every stage of our decision-making processes, and to ensure that African institutions and actors are at the forefront of shaping the continent’s development trajectory,” she added.
She urged African think tanks to apply for the initiative, which also aims to establish “a network of authoritative institutions that produce evidence-based knowledge, engage decision-makers, and contribute to unified policy frameworks.”
Think tanks interested in applying are to review the full application package and submission guidelines at https://africathinktankplatform.africa/callforproposal.
Submission of proposals would end September 24, 2025. Evaluation and selection is expected to continue on October 17, 2025, while award notification and disbursement of grant would take place on November 14, and December 19, 2025, respectively.
Mr Samer Al-Samarrai, Lead Economist, World Bank, said the initiative aligned with the Bank’s Africa strategy, which focused on “advancing regional integration, developing human capital, and enhancing resilience to climate and economic shocks.”
“The proposals and analysis generated under this initiative have the potential to inform homegrown, evidence-based policies that improve economic performance, strengthen regional cooperation, and contribute to sustainable reductions in poverty,” he stated.
Mr Abdrahmane Dicko, Director, Programmes and Impact Department, ACBF, urged African think tanks to submit “boldest ideas for cross-border impact.”
“We are planting seeds of a legacy, which is an Africa where evidence drives policy, where think tanks thrive as engines of sovereignty, and where collaboration becomes our continent’s superpower,” he said.
Ms Faten Aggad, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Cabinet of the Deputy Chairperson, AUC, noted that the success of the initiative would be measured “in the trust, it builds and the capacity it unlocks.”
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe