AERC’s vision is of sustained development in
sub-Saharan Africa, grounded in sound economic
management andfacilitated by well-trained, locally
based professional economists.

Steady growth and success over two decades is a milestone for any organization. For a not-for-profit, grant-dependent and service-oriented organization based in sub-Saharan Africa, the achievement is particularly significant. The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is this year marking just such an occasion.

Where We Started
Established in 1988, AERC began as small project that was the brainchild of a few visionary Africans and Africanists. The Consortium has since become the major producer in sub-Saharan Africa of central bank and ministry of finance officials, top economic advisers in government, private sector practitioners, and hundreds of academics. AERC’s mission then and now is to strengthen local capacity for conducting independent, rigorous inquiry into problems facing the management of economies in sub-Saharan Africa. There are two principal approaches to this: learning by doing research in thematic, collaborative and other modalities, and support for postgraduate training in economics.

What We’ve Done
In its 20-year history AERC has supported over 500 Africa-oriented economic research projects conducted by more than 1,000 African researchers. AERC has also helped more than 1,300 African economists to further their education through both master’s and PhD programmes. One outcome of these efforts is an extensive body of research results that is directly relevant to African economic policy. A comprehensive communications and outreach strategy encourages the application of these results by policy makers.

The 20th Anniversary Observances
For AERC, the year 2008 is a period of year-long reflection on its history and prospects – and its impact on the economic management of sub-Saharan Africa. Among the major events planned is an international conference to be held in Nairobi on 15–17 September on the theme Natural Resource Management and Climate Change in Africa: Issues, Opportunities and Challenges. These are issues of grave importance to Africa. They have particular relevance for poverty reduction measures, both because of the region’s heavy reliance on commodity exports and because agriculture forms the backbone of the continent’s economies and the livelihoods of Africa’s poor.

Expectations are that more than 200 senior African policymakers, renowned economists and other dignitaries from the continent and around the world will participate through commissioned papers and discussion. In the lead up to the conference, AERC is in the process of producing a documentary on its history – celebrating the commitment of the “founding fathers” and the Consortium members who have contributed to today’s achievements.

In addition, AERC intends to publish – in print and electronically – a written account of its history tracing the evolution of the Research Programme (which is where we started), the Training Programme and the management approach.