26 April 2026 | Africa
A new multi-country initiative will support inclusive and sustainable development across Africa by improving how research evidence is produced and put to use.
PEP is partnering with the Economic Research Forum (ERF, Egypt) and the Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre (Nigeria) for the Research Alliance for Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Development (RAISED Africa). The initiative brings together research and policy engagement across Africa to improve decision-making, build local capacity, and support more effective development outcomes. RAISED Africa is one of three consortia awarded grants by the just-launched Africa Think Tank Platform (ATTP).
Across Africa, policymakers are navigating increasingly complex and interconnected development challenges," said Prof. Jane Mariara, PEP Executive Director. "RAISED Africa is designed to bridge research and decision-making, ensuring high-quality local evidence reaches and shapes policymaking processes.
Addressing gaps in evidence and policymaking
African countries face persistent challenges around human capital, climate change, food security, and economic governance. Additionally, gaps remain in how research is coordinated, communicated, and acted upon.
RAISED Africa will focus on these four interconnected thematic areas to help close these gaps, equipping decision-makers with locally grounded insights to design more effective policy solutions.
Policy-engaged research across countries
The initiative will be implemented across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Africa through multidisciplinary country teams composed of researchers and policy stakeholders.
Each team will combine technical analysis with structured policy engagement, ensuring findings are co-produced, validated, and positioned for uptake within government systems.
A collaborative approach to strengthening research systems
The ERF is leading RAISED Africa, bringing together three think tanks working to strengthen the quality, relevance, and sustainability of policy research and engagement.
Through this collaboration, the initiative will help build institutional capacity for policy research and analysis, support partnerships between think tanks, governments, and regional actors, establish communities of practice, and strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.
Part of a broader continental initiative
RAISED Africa is one of three pan-African consortia awarded grants by the Africa Think Tank Platform (ATTP), itself a five-year, $50 million African Union Commission (AUC) initiative funded by the World Bank Group. AUC is implementing the initiative in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD).
The AUC signed grant agreements with 13 African think tanks. Through ATTP, the think tanks will generate actionable policy evidence aligned with Agenda 2063 priorities, helping Member States and Regional Economic Communities translate continental commitments into tangible national and regional outcomes.
Across the platform, research and policy engagement will contribute to six strategic thematic areas: economic transformation and governance, regional trade, climate change, food security, human capital development, and digitalisation.
