The Role of Think Tanks in Transforming Africa

THE FIRST AFRICAN CONTINENTAL THINK TANK SUMMIT

Pretoria, South Africa

February 3rd - 5th, 2014

Soft power is determined not only by economic strength, but also by the ability of states to produce

knowledge and influence thinking. The number of Think Tanks in a country is indicative of this. – Jakkie

Cilliers, Institute for Security Studies, African Futures monograph, 2008

Think tanks have played an effective role in Africa's development and will remain an integral component in the quest for poverty reduction and sustainable development for some time to come. These institutions have grown to offer the dialogue space required to tackle critical policy development challenges. They are also a dynamic place to nurture knowledge and learning and share lessons that enable growth, action and above all transformation. -- Dr. Frannie A. Leautier, Former Executive Secretary African Capacity Building Foundation, 2013

The potential of think tanks to support and sustain democratic governments and civil society is far from

exhausted. Today policymakers and civil society throughout the developed and the developing world

face the common problem of bringing expert knowledge to bear on government decision-making. The

challenge is to harness the vast reservoir of knowledge, information and associational energy that exist in

public policy research organizations in every region of the world for public good. James G. McGann,

Ph.D. Think Tanks and Civil Society Program, University of Pennsylvania, 2012.

Organizers and Host

Regional Partners

Donors

Venue: [TBD], Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa

Duration: 3 Days

Participants: African representatives – 40-45; International – 5-10

Concept Summary:

There is a renewed interest in the African continent that is driven and defined by a new generation of leaders, increased government accountability, an abundance of natural resources and the prospects for significant growth and development. Africa has also witnessed strong economic growth that is likely to be sustained in the next decade. According to the World Bank “the economic outlook for Sub-Sararan Africa (SSA) is positive, with growth rising to 5.3% in 2012, and 5.6% in 2013, over the pre-crisis average level of of 5%.” Clearly economic growth is not enough and Africa’s long-term security, social development and economic growth will be shaped by an increasingly complex set of interrelated social and demographic factors. According to the World Bank key among these will be urbanization, an expanding labor force, and the rise of the African middle-class consumer. “In 1980, just 28% of Africans lived in cities. Today, 40% of the continent’s one billion people live in cities. By 2030, this share is projected to rise to 50%, and Africa’s top 18 cities will have a combined annual spending power of $1.3 trillion”. In addition, the fragility of many states and the persistent sub-national conflicts that fall along

ethnic and tribal lines, pose significant risks to national and regional security. Africa remains one of the most conflict prone regions in the world which undermines efforts to reduce poverty, provide access to basic services, combat persistent diseases, promote public health, develop and sustain more democratic and accountable governments. The prospects for the future are bright but not assured and the people and governments in the region will need strong institutions to help support and sustain the transformation that is underway. In the words of Regional Integration Division Manager Moono Mupotola our goal should be “to unlock Africa’s potential”.

Think tanks can play a critical role in this process by serving as catalyst for ideas and action on key policy issues and bridging the gap between knowledge and policy and governments and civil society. For these reasons the first Africa Think Tank Summit will be organized around the theme “The Role of Think Tanks in Transforming Africa.”

The African Think Tank Summit to be held in Pretoria, South Africa in February 3-5 2014 will for the first time address the need for greater collaboration and knowledge-sharing among African think tanks as well as the particular problem of bridging the gap between think tanks and policymakers in the region. This is an important issue given the number of fledgling African democracies that are emerging from conflict and the growing influence in the region of major powers like China, Russia, India, Brazil and the United States who are competing for resources and power. The Summit will also address the need to develop a better understanding of the unique challenges African think tanks face; how to build their capacity to serve their countries well; and how to raise their visibility both domestically and abroad, so that they can get the recognition and funding they deserve. To that end, Summit co-organizers, University of Pennsylvania, African Capacity Building Foundation, African Leadership Center and Institute for Security Studies, expect that representatives from roughly 40-50 think tanks with established track records in policy relevant research will attend the event along with major donors in the region who are involved with these organizations. The forum is also designed to precede the World Economic Forum Regional Meeting in Cape Town later that month. The idea behind organizing the first ever meeting of African think tanks emerged at the from the

successful execution of the G20 Think Tank Conference held in Philadelphia in June of 2012.

The meeting outlined the role of foreign policy and security think tanks in support of G20

governments in the management of global transformations.

The reasons for organizing a similar meeting in Africa are manifold and listed below.

The main objective is to mobilize and connect think tanks in Africa with those in other regions of

the world. In developing opportunities to create networks, the Summit aims to increase the

profile of think tanks in Africa, to reinforce the importance of think tanks in Africa and to facilitate

cooperation and knowledge sharing amongst think tanks on the continent.

Another core objective of the Summit is gaining a better understanding of the organizational and

policy challenges facing think tanks and policymakers in Africa. Identifying opportunities to

bridge information gaps between think tanks and governmental bodies on the continent, many

of whom are characterized by fledgling democracies facing substantial economic or legislative

challenge will be focused on. This discussion should serve to assist a wide range of groups

better serve the policymakers in their home countries. While Africa faces a unique set of policy

challenges, think tanks in the region face challenges similar to their counterparts in other parts

of the world. These shared challenges can be summarized in the 4 M’s:

Mission - What are think tanks and how do they establish their research priorities in a rapidly

changing global environment?

Manpower - How and where do think tanks recruit and retain top talent?

Money - Who funds think tanks and how independent are they or can they be?

Market - How do think tanks convince policy makers of their worth?

This Summit will be feature in a multi-format conference design that will provide for

peer-to-peer exchange of best practices in think tank management and policy development as

well as expert panel and individual lecture series.

The objective of the peer-to-peer exchange is to provide a space for representatives of 50 think

tanks (with established track records in policy relevant research) and ten to fifteen donors who

are active in the region to brainstorm, discuss innovative solutions and best practices regarding

the challenges facing African think tanks and the countries they serve.

Expected Outcomes:

The aim of the African Think Tank Summit is to increase the profile of think tanks in Africa; to

facilitate cooperation and knowledge-sharing among think tanks and to reflect on the work of

think tanks and the challenges they are facing across the continent. As policy makers face ever-

growing challenges and are generally compelled to fight the social battles of the moment, the

time needed to think and plan ahead is typically lacking. The Summit aims at showcasing the

importance of think tanks in Africa’s transformation. Specific outputs include: Summit Report

and Joint Communique with recommendations for policymakers, public and private donors and

the regional and global think tank community. In addition, an edited volume of selected Summit

paper is planned but is dependent on funding.

Organization Themes To Be Addressed:

The findings of a recent survey of think tanks in Africa revealed that the region’s think tanks

perceive their over reliance on external funding by international donors as a growing obstacle for their

organizations. In recent years, dependence on such resources has been compromised by the global

economic crisis and reductions to international aid funds in some Northern countries. For some think

tanks in the region, a lack of adequate funds creates additional obstacles to achieving their organizations’

missions and objectives. Difficulties attracting qualified research and administrative staff appear to be

compounded by lack of funds. Organizations are also experiencing challenges finding individuals with

specific language or research area related skills. Respondents also voiced concerns about the tenuous

nature of the relationship between government and think tanks in their countries. Challenges think tanks

face in creating stable relationships with their governments appear to derive from several root causes,

including weak governance structures, government disinterest in research and evidence-based policy, and

conflicts of interests.

A majority of respondents believe policymakers and think tanks in the region are experiencing

problems combating “ the triple scourge of poverty, inequality, and unemployment.1” The range of

responses on the subject suggests that changing demographics, dependency on commodity based

economies, and a lack of inclusive growth, are the most frequently encountered economic issues in the

region. Surveyed organizations also place the weakness and incompetence of the public sector high on

their lists of pressing policy issues. Deficiencies in public services, of which education and health care

appear most critically in need of reform, were also discussed. It should be noted that a connection

between the problems in education and healthcare, and the human resources challenges encountered by

some of these organizations might exist.

Recommendations to donors and policymakers focus on three areas: funding and institutional

support, outreach, and engagement. Think tanks request movement away from project funding, and

towards more long-term financial commitments. Respondents also see value in their donors’ external

contacts, and recommend donors help their organizations create regional and global networks. Several

organizations advise their governments to regularly and proactively engage with think tanks. Recognizing

a need for greater government-think tank interaction, these respondents also suggest arranging workshops

and conferences designed for this purpose.

Policymakers in Africa are facing a number of critical policy choices that will require innovative

policy proposals and national and regional cooperation;

Africa is going through major structural transformations and changes in policy orientation - think

tanks play a role that has not yet been assessed at regional level;

Governments and civil societies face the challenge of informed decision-making in an

increasingly complex context;

Think tanks are an unspecified political object (UPO) in the African pre-democratic context:

needed for their expertise, they are also considered suspicious because of their independence

and their generally external funding;

Independent think tanks are a relatively new development on the continent, a child of the major

changes that have occurred following the end of the cold war; we must map this terrain and

identify major players;

Reflect on the work of think tanks: issues like independence, funding, advocacy vs. research,

relations with governments, censorship, communications etc.

1 The 2013 Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program Organizational Survey.

Based on the responses from think tanks in Africa we have developed the proposed themes as the possible

areas of focus for the Summit.

The role of think tanks in defining public policy in Africa - How can think tanks set the agenda?

Independence in the face of economic constraints - The role of private consultancies in an

environment of increasing competition for funding

Relations with State actors - How to give policy advice without being co-opted by governments

and institutions

Communicating to impact policy - What constitutes effective media communication? How can

you own your message?

Think tanks in a digital era - Moving faster, connecting better

Cooperation between think tanks and the role of pan-African institutions - Working together

against censorship and government control

Organizations That Have Confirmed Their Participation Think Tanks

1. Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies

2. Ahfad University for Women

3. Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR)

4. Savannah Accelerated Development Authority

5. African Centre for Advocacy and Development

6. Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment

7. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)

8. Institute for Global Dialogue

9. Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs

10. Center for Development and Enterprise

11. Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA)

12. Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA)

13. South African Institute of International Affairs

14. Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI)

15. ACTADE

16. Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute

17. Cellule d'Analyse de Politiques Economiques du Cires (CAPEC)

18. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA)

19. Centre Ivorien de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (CIRES)

20. Institut Amadeus

21. Initiative for Public Policy Analysis

22. Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit (ZEPARU)

23. Zambia Institute for Policy Analysis and Research

24. SEPARC

25. IPI, Malawi

26. IMANI

27. CMAP

28. Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID)

29. African Security Sector Network (ASSN),

30. IPPA Nigeria

31. Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis

32. Cellule d’Analyse de Politiques Economiques du Cires (CAPEC)

Intergovernmental Organizations

33. World Bank

34. UNDP

35. OECD

36. UNIOGBIS (United Nations Integrated Peace-building Office Guinea-Bissau), Bissau - Penha Security Sector Reform

Partner Profiles African Capacity Building Foundation

Established in February 1991, ACBF is the outcome of collaboration between African

governments and the international donor community. Its mission is to build sustainable

human and institutional capacity for sustainable growth and poverty reduction in Africa.

ACBF’s vision is for Africa to be recognized for its socio-political and economic capabilities

and endowments – a continent with effective institutions and policies acquired through

sustained investment in people and institutions. The Foundation aims to become a leader,

major partner, and centre of excellence for capacity building in Africa.

Countries and International Organizations which have honored ACBF with their support to

date are the following:

Multilateral partners: the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the United

Nations Development Programme and the International Monetary Fund.

Bilateral partners: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, India, Ireland, The

Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America.

African partners: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African

Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (DRC), Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia,

Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar,

Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tomé &

Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and

Zimbabwe.

The creation of ACBF was in response to the severity of Africa’s capacity needs, and the

challenge of investing in indigenous human capital and institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

ACBF was also designed to serve as a coordinating mechanism for donor support to

capacity building on the Continent, through the pooling of resources and common

governance and reporting system. Until January 2000, ACBF interventions focused on

building and strengthening capacity for macroeconomic policy analysis and development

management, its initial niche in capacity building. In 2000, this focus was expanded as a

result of the integration of the Partnership for Capacity Building in Africa (PACT) initiative

into the Foundation’s fold. PACT aims at mobilizing greater support for capacity building in

Africa. The expansion broadened the Foundation’s scope to cover the following areas:

Support to projects and programs designed to strengthen the core public sector and its

interface with the private sector and civil society in order to enhance their contributions

to good governance, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Support to regional initiatives in the areas of training, policy analysis, applied policy

research, trade policy development and negotiations as well as policy advocacy.

Support for the emergence of institutional frameworks for country ownership and

coordination of capacity-building activities as well as for participatory development.

Knowledge generation and sharing for the transformation of the Foundation into a

knowledge-based institution and to support the emergence of knowledge-based

economies in Africa.

African Leadership Center

The African Leadership Centre (ALC) was established in Kenya in June 2010 as a joint initiative of King’s College London and the University of Nairobi.

The ALC is a Pan African centre of excellence on peace, security and development in Africa;

It trains and mentors young Africans with the potential to lead and enable innovative change in their communities and in the region;

To that end, it builds capacity not just of the individuals, but of the communities, institutions and organisations in which they live and work.

The need to contribute to efforts to promote stability and peace in Africa is self-evident. The continent accounts for more than 40% of global conflicts, suffers from a perpetually weak economy and has fragile political and social infrastructures. The ALC is able to:

Address the problem of ‘brain drain’, where talented young people leave their states due to limited opportunity for growth;

Build a sound knowledge base of critical issues affecting African security and development within the youth population;

Provide opportunities to develop untapped talent among emerging African youth leaders and facilitate their participation in processes of national development and regional integration.

The unique partnerships between the African Leadership Centre, the University of Nairobi and other partners in Africa and worldwide enables the ALC to develop new and innovative ways to address these challenges and develop a new generation of ‘home-grown’ talent in Africa.

Institute Security Studies

The ISS was founded in 1991 as the Institute for Defence Policy by the current Executive Director, Dr Jakkie Cilliers, together with Mr PB Mertz. In 1996, the organization was renamed the Institute for Security Studies.

Reflecting on the origins of the ISS, Dr Cilliers noted in 2009 that ‘We often forget the difficult times of our past and where we come from. The idea and motivation for the ISS was born during a meeting organised by Institute for Democracy in Africa (IDASA) between a number of concerned South Africans and members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC, in Lusaka, Zambia in May 1990. This was a groundbreaking conference of security specialists and analysts from within and outside South Africa – the first of its kind despite the unbanning of the ANC earlier that year’. The meeting was dominated by a debate on the future of the military in a post-settlement South Africa that took place between Chris Hani, commander of MK, and Jakkie Cilliers. Several years before this meeting, Dr Cilliers had resigned from the South African Defence Force (SADF) for political reasons.

Shortly after the May 1990 meeting, the forerunner of the ISS – the Institute for Defence Policy (IDP) – was established with offices in Midrand and a staff of three people. Dr Cilliers explains that ‘These were difficult times as South Africa was still under effective National Party apartheid rule. As former military comrades considered [Jakkie Cilliers who had

been] a Lieutenant Colonel in field artillery a traitor, the phones of the IDP and its staff were tapped; we were under heavy intimidation by the Civilian Cooperation Bureau and the lives of the staff and those associated with the staff were placed in considerable danger. Ironically, IDP’s credibility was guaranteed by an MK enquiry into whether the Institute was a military front organisation, only to find out that military intelligence thought that we were an ANC front organisation’.

For a non-governmental organization, working on security related issues at this time in South Africa’s history was a major challenge. Dr Cilliers explains that ‘We shouldn’t forget that at that time civil war threatened. The true transition of power in South Africa did not happen during the elections of 1994, but during the events in the then homeland of Bophuthatswana when the SADF neutralised the right wing coup that had been organised by the leader of the Freedom Front, a former chief of the SADF, General Constant Viljoen, and a band of rag-tag racist thugs (the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging). Remember that the former SADF was a formidable military force, that white South Africa was a heavily militarised society at this time of regional war and internal unrest, and that Gen Viljoen had something of a cult status amongst many Afrikaners’. Nevertheless, despite the challenges, the applied policy work of the IDP meant that the organisation played a key role in South Africa’s transition from an apartheid state to a democracy.

After focusing on South Africa’s transition in its early years, the work of the ISS took on a regional dimension after 1996, resulting in the thriving continental organisation that it is today. The development of the ISS would not have been possible without the support of partners from South Africa and the international community. The first funds that the Institute received were from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Bonn and Anglo American and De Beers Chairman’s’ Fund. Subsequently the Hanns Seidel Foundation would become an important partner of the ISS, along with many valued local and international partners.

Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP)

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the International Relations Program, University of Pennsylvania conducts research on the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies around the world. TTCSP was established in 1989. The Program maintains a database and network of over 6,600 think tanks in 152 countries. Often referred to as the “think tanks’ think tank,” TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of public policy research organizations. Over the last 25 years, the Program has developed and led a series of global initiatives that have helped bridge the gap between knowledge and policy in critical policy areas such as international peace and security, globalization and governance, international economics, environmental issues, information and society, poverty alleviation, and healthcare/global health. These international collaborative efforts are designed to establish regional and international networks of policy institutes and communities that improve policy making while strengthening democratic institutions and civil societies around the world. TTCSP works with leading scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programs. TTCSP produces the annual Global Go To Think Tank Index that ranks the

world’s leading think tanks in a variety of categories. This is achieved with the help of a panel of over 1,900 peer institutions and experts from the print and electronic media, academia, public and private donor institutions, and governments around the world. TTCSP has strong relationships with leading think tanks around the world and its annual Think Tank Index is used by academics, journalists, donors and the public to locate and connect with the leading centers of public policy research around the world. TTCSP’s goal is to increase the profile and performance of think tanks and raise the public awareness of the important role think tanks play in governments and civil societies around the globe.

Since its inception in 1989 TTCSP has focused on collecting data and conducting research on think tank trends and the role think tanks play as civil society actors in the policymaking process. In 2007 TTCSP developed and launched the global index of think tank which is designed to identify and recognize centers of excellence in all the major areas of public policy research and in every region of the world. To date TTSCP has provided technical assistance and capacity building programs in 81 countries. The TTCSP is now working to create regional and global networks of think tanks in an effort to facilitate collaboration and the production of a modest yet achievable set of global public goods. Our goal is to create lasting institutional and state-level partnerships by engaging and mobilizing think tanks that have demonstrated their ability to produce high quality policy research and shape popular and elite opinion and actions for public good