Ethiopian Review

24 African think tanks selected for new initiative that will support locally created development policies and drive positive change for millions of people

DAKAR, Senegal – Canada’s International DevelopmentResearch Centre (IDRC), the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation today announced US$30 million in grants to 24 thinkTanks in East and West Africa. The Think Tank Initiative (TTI) will supportindependent policy think tanks in developing countries, enabling them toprovide sound research that informs and influences national policy. The threedonors have committed a total of US$90 million to the initiative.

The partners made the announcement during the annual meetings of theAfrican Development Bank and were joined by executive directors of two think tanks from Senegal and Tanzania.

Policy-makers in developing countries often lack credible, objectiveinformation to address increasingly complex social and economic issues.Independent think tanks can play a critical role in supplying this informationand improving the national debate about policy options. TTI will give corefunding to local think tanks, helping them produce high-quality research thatwill lead to better policies and, ultimately, more equitable and prosperous

societies.

“The value of providing think tanks with enduring, long-term supportcannot be overstated,” said Rohinton Medhora, IDRC’s vice president, Programs.”Predictable core funding gives institutions the certainty and continuity theyneed to build skills that can lead to path-breaking work and constructivepublic policy influence.”

The initiative received nearly 300 proposals from a wide range of Africanthink tanks that focus on broad national, social, and economic policy issues.Following a thorough and rigorous review process, 24 think tanks were selectedfrom 11 East and West African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso,Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda.

“The core support provided by the Think Tank Initiative will allow us tostrengthen our research program, enhance our communications strategy, andfurther invest in effective partnerships and networks, therefore helping ustowards fulfilling our mission of building research and analysis capacity inSenegal,” said Abdoulaye Diagne, the executive director of Senegal’sConsortium pour la Recherche Economique et Sociale, one of the 24 institutionsselected to receive TTI support.

The Think Tank Initiative is envisioned as a long-term investment over atleast 10 years. For the first five years, IDRC has made a commitment of US$10million, while the Hewlett Foundation has committed US$40 million and theGates Foundation has committed US$40 million.

“We believe good national development policy decisions are best made wheninformed by robust research and analysis grounded in local realities,” saidMark Suzman, director of policy and advocacy for the Global DevelopmentProgram at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The Think Tank Initiativemarks an important step forward in helping forge stronger partnerships betweenresearchers and policy-makers in the developing world. We believe it is apowerful model for achieving change and hope that other donors will join us inthis initiative to help improve the lives and livelihoods of millions ofpeople.”

“The Hewlett Foundation has made a total commitment of $100 million over10 years to strengthen research in the developing world because we believethat public policies work best when they are informed by the research of localscholars, and that good local research requires strong local institutions,”said Paul Brest, president of the Hewlett Foundation. “Today’s announcement isa central part of that commitment, and we are confident that this approachwill go a long way toward helping advance policies that will reduce poverty inthe developing world.”

In August 2009, IDRC will issue a call for Expression of Interest fromthink tanks in Latin America and South Asia. As the initiative grows, thethink tanks will form networks that provide opportunities to build and sharebest practices in policy research. Notes to Editors The 24 African think tanks receiving grants include Benin: Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE); Burkina Faso: Centre d’étude de documentation de recherches économique et sociale (CEDRES); Ethiopia: Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) and Ethiopian Economic Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute (EEA/EEPRI); Ghana:

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) – Ghana and Institute of Statistical,Social and Economic Research (ISSER); Kenya: Center for Research andTechnology Development (RESTECH Center), Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) -Kenya, Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) – Kenya, and KenyaInstitute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA); Mali: Groupe derecherche en économie appliquée et théorique (GREAT); Nigeria: AfricanInstitute for Applied Economics (AIAE), Center for the Study of the Economiesof Africa (CSEA), Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED),and Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER); Rwanda:Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) – Rwanda; Senegal: Initiativeprospective agricole et rurale (IPAR) – Senegal and Consortium pour larecherche économique et sociale (CRES); Tanzania: African Technology PolicyStudies (ATPS) – Tanzania, Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), andResearch on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA); Uganda: Advocates Coalition forDevelopment and Environment (ACODE), Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC),and Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).For more information about the Think Tank Initiative, visitwww.idrc.ca/thinktank

About IDRC

Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world’s leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For nearly 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.

About the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1967 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, the environment, global development, performing arts, philanthropy, andpopulation, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the SanFrancisco Bay Area.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co- chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org .

- CNW Telbec