Africa Initiative
The Africa Initiative (AI) is a multi-year, donor-supported project jointly undertaken by CIGI in cooperation with the South African Institute of International Affairs. Launched in 2008, it creates knowledge-sharing opportunities, building capacity in Africa with a focus on five thematic areas: conflict resolution, energy, food security, health and migration, with special attention paid to the crosscutting issue of climate change.
The AI has three main components:
The research program supports innovative field-based research in the social and physical sciences. It aims to inform and influence African policy making and contribute to the body of research on topics of importance to the continent.
The exchange program supports short-term academic placements for African- and Canadian-based scholars undertaking research on Africa. Each year, the program offers highly motivated graduate students an opportunity to carry out research in a cross-cultural experience.
The Africa Portal is an online knowledge resource for policy-related issues on Africa. It equips users with research and information and provides a platform to publish work on areas of concern to policy makers and the public.
CIGI and AI release new research through a Policy Brief Series and Discussion Paper Series. The Policy Brief Series presents analysis and commentary emerging from field-based research on issues critical to the continent. Findings and recommendations in this peer-reviewed series aim to inform policy making and to contribute to the overall African research enterprise. The Discussion Paper Series presents policy-relevant, peer-reviewed, field-based research that promotes discussion and advances knowledge on issues relevant to policy makers and opinion leaders in Africa. Papers in this series are written by experienced African and Canadian researchers, and have gone through the grant review process. In select cases, papers are commissioned studies supported by the research program.
The Africa Portal has recently launched an interactive blog, Community of Practice that signals important policy research topics and trends in Africa. Contributors include top researchers and practitioners conducting on-the-ground, field-based research in Africa. The blog shares their work and documents both the challenges and learning that emerge from their efforts to inform African policy making.
Learn more about the AI’s research and exchange program components by visiting the Africa Portal.
Additional Resources
Africa Initiative brochure (PDF)
Africa Portal brochure (PDF)
Featured Materials
Building Effective Drinking Water Management Policies in Rural AfricaPolicy Briefs  This paper offers recommendations on how to improve access to safe drinking water in rural Africa, which has direct consequences for quality of life. | Integrating Food Security with Land Reform: A More Effective Policy for South AfricaPolicy Briefs  This policy brief discusses how food security policies among the poor have been incompatible with land use activities and land rights in parts of South Africa. |
Dr. James Orbinski to lead Africa Initiative at CIGINews Release  Dr. James Orbinski has been appointed Director of the Africa Initiative, effective September 2012. James also will be a senior adviser to CIGI’s VP of programs. | How Perks for Delegates Can Influence Peace Process OutcomesCIGI Papers  Do luxurious perks for delegates, such as paid daily allowances, unnecessarily prolong peace negotiations in Africa? |
