New Partnerships for Growth Research in Africa: Launch Workshop Report, Brookings Institution, July 2010

From the report: Africa remains in the global economic discourse a presence seen, but seldom heard. There is an abiding tendency to speak to or of the region, the speakers consisting primarily of a select handful of Western-based individuals and institutions. Largely absent from the conversation are the Africans themselves—researchers working in Africa, and African researchers based further afield. To overlook the contributions of those at the nerve center of African growth research is to forego the possibility of a richer, more nuanced understanding of the issues facing the continent today.

This was the impetus behind the launch workshop on New Partnerships for Growth Research in Africa, hosted by the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) at Brookings on February 25 and 26, 2010 in Washington, DC. The workshop gathered some of the top African think tanks and research networks together with key foundations and multilateral institutions that support and benefit from their work. Though some had worked together before, the meeting marked the first time that all these institutions were assembled around a single table.

Access the workshop report here.