The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) has been ranked in the top 10 of Think Tanks in Sub Saharan Africa. This is a comprehensive ranking of the leading think tanks worldwide.  The report was written by Prof. James McGann of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Think tanks are public policy research institutes that provide research, independent analysis and advice on domestic and international issues. These organizations employ experts from academia and government who publish a wide range of scholarship including working papers, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs. To date there are nearly 6,603 of these organizations currently operating worldwide.

Top 50 Think Tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa

1. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
2. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (South Africa)
3. Center for Development and Enterprise (South Africa)
4. African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) (South Africa)
5. Africa Institute of South Africa (South Africa)
6. Centre for Conflict Resolution (South Africa)
7. African Economic Research Consortium (Kenya)
8. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
9. Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
10. Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) (Botswana)
11. Center for Policy Analysis (Ghana)
12. Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) (South Africa)
13. Centre for Democratic Development (Ghana)
14. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) (Kenya)
15. Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) (Ethiopia)
16. Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) (Uganda)
17. Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute (EEA/EEPRI) (Ethiopia)
18. Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) (Tanzania)
19. Free Market Foundation (South Africa)
20. Institute for Global Dialogue (South Africa)
21. Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) (Ghana)
22. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) (South Africa)
23. South African Institute of Race Relations (South Africa)
24. Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) (Nigeria)
25. Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) (Uganda)
26. Organization for Social Sciences Research in Eastern Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
27. Institute of Economic Affairs (Kenya)
28. Centre Ivorien de Recherche Economique et Sociale (CIRES) (Cote d'Ivoire)
29. Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED) (Nigeria)
30. Centre for Research and Technology Development (RESTECH Centre) (Kenya)
31. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
32. Initiative for Public Policy Analysis (IPPA) (Nigeria)
33. Rift Valley Institute (Kenya)
34. Centre for Development Studies (Ghana)
35. Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (Ghana)
36. Center for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) (Nigeria)
37. Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) (Uganda)
38. Institute for Public Policy Research (Namibia)
39. Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU) (Namibia)                 
40. Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE) (Benin)
41. Justice and Human Rights Institute (Ghana)
42. Centre d’Etudes, de Documentation et de Recherches Economique et Sociale (CEDRES) (Burkina
Faso) 43. Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) (Tanzania)
44. Groupe de Recherche en Economie Applique et Theorique (GREAT) (Mali)
45. Inter-Region Economic Network (IREN) (Kenya)
46. Macro Economic and Financial Management Institute (MEFMI) (Zimbabwe)
47. Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR-Kenya) (Kenya)
48. Institute for Public Policy of Nigeria (Nigeria)
49. Programme de Troisieme Cycle Inter-universitaire en Economie (PTCI) (Burkina Faso)
50. Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) (Ghana)

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