The African Union Commission, in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation, AUDA-NEPAD, with strategic funding support from the World Bank, officially launched the Africa Think Tank Platform Call for Proposals in Addis Ababa on Thursday.
The $50 million initiative aims to empower African think tanks to drive evidence-based policy solutions to continental challenges.
The program invites consortia of three to five African think tanks to submit joint applications for multi-year funding to advance policy research. Priority areas include governance, regional trade, climate resilience, food security, digitalization, and human capital development.
“This represents a strategic investment in Africa’s ability to lead its own policy conversations with rigor, data, and indigenous expertise,” said H.E. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, in her keynote address.
“Today’s event reflects a strategic affirmation of our collective commitment to deepen the role of evidence in informing and sustaining Africa’s policy and development agenda,” Haddadi added.
She said the ATTP (Africa Think Tank Platform) initiative is a key enabler in the implementation of the Second Tenure Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.
The World Bank affirmed its commitment to Africa-led policy research through the initiative.
Samer Al-Samarrai, Lead Economist at the World Bank, said the proposals and analysis generated under the program “have the potential to inform homegrown, evidence-based policies that improve economic performance, strengthen regional cooperation, and contribute to sustainable reductions in poverty.”
Abdrahmane Dicko, ACBF’s Director of Programs and Impact, described the launch as a collective achievement.
“Today marks a triumph of partnership. The African Union Commission, the African Union Development Agency, the World Bank Group, and ACBF stand united with one purpose, which is to unleash the power of Africa’s brightest minds,” he said.
Dicko emphasized the urgency of local leadership in shaping Africa’s development agenda. “In this landscape, evidence is our compass, and policy is our map. With the ATTP Project, we hope to equip our think tanks to turn challenges into blueprints for action,” he said this is the moment to redefine Africa’s future, “on our terms.”
The platform will provide institutional support and access to a continental network of policymakers and peer institutions.
To support applicants, organizers have established webinars and a help desk. Applications are due by September 24, 2025, with awards to be announced in November.
Dicko noted the initiative’s significance in the context of previous funding gaps. “This is the first significant investment directed to think tanks after the closure, in 2017, of the World Bank project managed by ACBF,” he said.
“We are proud to work via such a unique partnership, ensuring the Project becomes a source of sustainable capacity, not just funding,” he added.
Faten Aggad, Deputy Chief of Staff at the AU Commission, emphasized the initiative’s strategic importance.
“This is not a mere ceremonial engagement. It is a strategic affirmation of the AU’s commitment to institutionalizing knowledge, strengthening systems, and delivering results,” she said.
Aggad called on African think tanks to submit proposals that “reflect the depth of Africa’s policy challenges and the ingenuity with which we will meet them.” She added that the platform “must become a vehicle for continental coherence, institutional learning, and systems strengthening.”
The AU and its partners said the initiative represents their collective commitment to strengthen Africa’s knowledge systems and ensure African research informs the continent’s development trajectory.
Organizations can find application information at africathinktankplatform.africa
