International Funding for African Think Tanks

IRIN reports that international donors are collaborating to provide funding for 24 African think tanks in the next ten years. $30 million is pledged for the program’s first five years. James McGann, director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, cites a lack of capacity to track and analyze trends, including issues such as food, pandemics, and climate change. He reiterates the fact that Africa cannot continue to depend on the North for information.

The long term investment will allow think tanks to train and retain the “best and brightest” researchers, who often seek jobs abroad. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to only 400 think tanks, out of 5,400 institutions worldwide.

The financing, which is coming from a variety off sources, will be a welcome injection for a sector that needs all of the help it can get. Just as elsewhere, think tanks are often political tools rather than active research organizations. The funding will not only help these institutions to assure their future over the long term and attract talent, but also give a small measure of independence from interfering governments.

(via @africastrategy)