The importance of governance in economic development cannot be overemphasized and Africa has a lot of catching up to do in that regard. Over the years, Africa has dealt with her own fair share of issues including; the absence of new initiatives in governance, underinvestment, limited access to basic services and resources, shaky entrepreneurial systems, a very large innovation gap with the rest of the world, and a lot more. The number of Africans living in poverty has actually increased from 278 million in 1990 to 413 million in 2015. In West Africa, the proportion of people living on less than $1.90 a day jumped from 2.3 percent in 2020 to 2.9 percent in 2021, while the debt burden of countries increased amid slow economic recovery, shrinking fiscal space, and weak resource mobilization. In summary, things are getting harder. If Africa is to achieve its development goals, mechanisms that promote constitutionalism, accountability, democracy, and good governance need to be introduced. While politically accountable governments can lead to improved economic outcomes, they are unlikely to adopt economically desirable policies that are unpopular with the populace and this is where think tanks and policy research organizations come in.

In line with our commitment to tackle Africa’s most challenging problems and foster sustainable development, one of our major strategies is providing research-based public policy analyses and recommendations while maintaining autonomy and non-interference in politics in Africa. We aim at promoting high-standard public policy analysis that will guide the general public and policymakers toward economic development. In particular, we analyze, synthesize, and translate evidence (data and research) and use it in order to strengthen political commitment, inform resource allocation, and plan and implement programs to help Africa realize sustainable development goals through sound policies and program interventions.

Our forum comprises young and growing value-driven professionals from diverse fields that include finance, economics, governance, innovation changes, strategy advisory, global energy transition, and environmental sustainability. We will network with African research institutes and universities to establish a link through which African researchers can lead research development in Africa as well as train and nurture young researchers that will provide evidence-based research.

In the meantime, we are taking up the debate on the energy-migration relationship. Energy is the enabler of socioeconomic activities, research, education, and healthcare services, and the absence or interrupted supply in Africa is posing a huge problem in all areas but we are currently focusing on its role in migration. Thus, we are devising a win-win business model that will upskill migrants in renewable energy, enabling them to become self-sufficient (in terms of household and business) while contributing to the sustainable transition to clean energy that is lacking in most African nations. With the collaboration of researchers from economics, migration, energy, and business ethics, our findings are expected to contribute meaningfully to ending irregular migration in the short and long run and harness the abundant sunshine in Africa for renewable solar energy, and even export it to countries without sunlight, especially in winter.

If you want to take part in one of our projects or start your own, please contact us at be&g@researchawakeafricainitiative.org.