The Africa Think Tank Summit is a unique platform for the African think tank community. The Summit - which started in 2014 with 50 people attending the maiden summit in South Africa – has grown to become a high-level and well-attended annual event organized by ACBF and its partners, where African think tanks share knowledge and experiences on what works and what does not, around critical development issues facing the continent.
The Summit has also become an important platform for sharing knowledge and good practices while defining solutions on how to make sure that African think tanks play their role in supporting the continent’s socio-economic transformation.
Additionally, the past summits have resulted in building capacities and bringing together the think tanks to come up with policy recommendations on issues related to industrialization in Africa, youth unemployment, and partnerships for the sustainability of the think tanks themselves.
“I can assure you that there is always room for more partners to join the bandwagon in order to ensure these crucial summits are sustained,” Prof Nnadozie told participants at the opening ceremony of the 6th Africa Think Tank Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.
He expressed his sincere gratitude that the organization of the 6th Summit had benefited enormously from the support of ACBF’s great cadre of partners, including: the African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank Group (AfDB), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), AUDA-NEPAD, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Islamic Development Bank (ISDB), African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank), Development Centre for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD-dev), Transformative Development Capacities, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), On Think Tanks (OTT), the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), and the Southern Voice.
Prof. Nnadozie also thanked the local partners - the Government of Kenya for their hospitality, and the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) for their great professionalism and facilitation for the organization of the Summit.
“The personal presence of Honorable Henry Rotich, Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury of Kenya, is an illustration of Kenya’s commitment and support,” Prof Nnadozie added.
Turning to the role think tanks can play, going forward, the Executive Secretary said, think tanks could effectively support the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs while demonstrating their importance and relevance for the socio-economic transformation of Africa.
“Think tanks in Africa, most of which have been supported by ACBF, in terms of their creation or sustenance, have matured over time and have become very competent in providing policy research, advice and advocacy on the challenges facing our continent and we should trust and support them as well as fully utilize their expertise,” Prof Nnadozie noted.
He said the ACBF looked forward to a fruitful Summit that would culminate in a definitive and reliable roadmap on how to make sure that African think tanks play their role in tackling policy implementation issues in Africa.
“This also includes clear action plans on how to support think tanks to be sustainable for their effective contribution to the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs,” he concluded.
