Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

What Tony Blair Institute for Global Change does

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) is a not-for-profit policy advisory organization founded in 2017 through the merger of three entities and headquartered at One Bartholomew Close, London. It is wholly owned and controlled by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who serves as Executive Chairman and devotes at least 80% of his time to the Institute without remuneration. TBI advises national governments and political leaders on strategy, policy, and delivery, with embedded in-country teams operating across 14 African nations, the UK, the US, the UAE, Serbia, Israel, and more recently Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Its work is organized around Government Advisory (embedded reform support) and Policy Futures (research and thought leadership), with thematic focus areas including digital transformation, AI policy, health systems modernization, trade facilitation, and economic reform.

TBI does not sell commercial software, but it does design and pilot digital public infrastructure in partnership with technology vendors and donors. Notable technology components include the TWIN (Trade Workflow Integration Network) blockchain platform built with IOTA and connecting 34 Kenyan government systems; a W3C-standard digital credential wallet piloted with Cybernetica in Kenya; deployment of Oracle's Health Management System across African governments (funded by the Larry Ellison Foundation); and the ADAPT interoperable digital rails initiative with the AfCFTA Secretariat. Its AI Sovereignty Framework (Control, Steer, Depend) is a policy construct rather than a product.

The Institute operates a not-for-profit revenue model funded by grants, donor partnerships (Larry Ellison Foundation, Gates Foundation), and contracts with governments and international organizations. Turnover reached $46.3M in FY2019, with staff costs representing roughly half of expenditure. Reported revenue for 2018-2019 ranged $45-46M, headcount grew from 213 to 231 over that period, and the current organization spans 501-1,000 staff across 35+ nationalities, indicating substantial subsequent expansion. Customer concentration is high, with the majority of revenue tied to a limited number of government and multilateral counterparties.

Name

Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Legal name

Tony Blair Institute

Website

https://institute.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is a London-based not-for-profit, founded by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, that advises national governments and political leaders on strategy, policy, and delivery through embedded in-country teams, primarily across Africa, the Middle East, the UK, and emerging engagements in Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Policy Advisory

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), International Affairs (928120), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), International Affairs (9721), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Budget Support & Policy-Based Lending/Grants (BPADAOAG)

Keywords

• Government advisory services
• Public policy consulting
• Digital transformation advisory
• International development consulting
• Strategic political advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory Services and Consulting: The Institute provides advisory services to governments and political leaders, operating as a not-for-profit. Revenue comes from funding partnerships, grants, and contracts with governments and international organizations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change provides advisory services to governments and political leaders on strategy, policy, and delivery. It operates through embedded in-country teams across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the UK, supporting governance reform, digital transformation, healthcare systems, economic reform, and AI policy. As a not-for-profit, it funds its work through grants, donations, and government partnerships and contracts.

Product overview

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) is a policy advisory and research organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer commercial software products. TBI's work consists of advising governments on strategy, policy, and delivery, with a focus on digital transformation, AI policy, healthcare modernization, and economic reform. The institute produces research reports, policy papers, and provides embedded advisory services to government partners across Africa, the Middle East, and the UK. Notable initiatives include the Africa Vaccines Programme, the Future of Britain initiative, and work on digital public infrastructure and AI sovereignty. TBI collaborates with technology partners like Oracle on health management systems but does not develop or sell its own proprietary software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Government Advisory Services Embedded advisory teams working directly with national governments and political leaders on strategy, policy design, and implementation support, with in-country presence across 14 African nations and the Middle East.
• Policy Futures Research and analysis programme generating policy ideas, foresight, and thought leadership on geopolitics, technology, AI sovereignty, and global affairs.
• Future of Britain Initiative UK-focused programme convening political leaders, ministers, and experts to shape domestic policy debates, including the Future of Britain conference.
• Africa Vaccines Programme Programme supporting African governments with vaccine delivery, digital health infrastructure, and pandemic response, including Oracle Health Management System deployment in Senegal and Rwanda.
• TWIN (Trade Workflow Integration Network) Blockchain-based platform built with IOTA for instant electronic document verification and trusted data exchange in trade finance, connecting 34 government systems in Kenya for trade data verification and piloted tokenised warehouse receipts in Rwanda.
• Digital Credential Wallet System Proof-of-concept digital credential wallet piloted in Kenya with Cybernetica to combat academic and public service recruitment fraud, using W3C Digital Wallet standards for cryptographically backed verifiable credentials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 510 million citizens could benefit from improved governance through TBI-supported projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Katapult Africa AcceleratorminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 March 2026TBI listed as partner for accelerator programme supporting African startups in agritech, foodtech, and climate tech sectors. Provides startups with global insights and resources through 90-day intensive workshops and mentorship.
• CyberneticaflagshipTechnology or Integration · 9 March 2026Proof-of-concept digital credential wallet system piloted in Kenya to combat academic and public service recruitment fraud. System uses W3C Digital Wallet standards for cryptographically backed verifiable credentials.
• UNDPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2025MoU signed to support Zambia's digital transformation, sustainable development, and public sector innovation. Partnership aims to enhance digital inclusion, innovation, climate-resilient agriculture, and resilient health systems.
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) SecretariatflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Collaboration on ADAPT initiative (Africa Digital Access and Public Infrastructure for Trade) to create interoperable digital rails for identity, payments, and trusted data exchange across borders in Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria.
• Gates FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Co-organizer of Indonesia International Financial Inclusion Summit 2025, focusing on digital financial inclusion, cybersecurity, and biometric digital IDs.
• Vietnam National Innovation CentreflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2025Partnership facilitated by TBI to bring GITEX VIETNAM event to Hanoi, supporting Vietnam's goal of achieving $200 billion digital economy by 2030.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to deploy Oracle Health Management System (OHMS) to African governments for pandemic tracking. Supports disease monitoring for yellow fever, HPV, polio, measles, tuberculosis, and COVID-19. Enabled Senegal to become one of first African countries to provide COVID-19 vaccination QR codes.
• IOTAflagshipTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on TWIN (Trade Workflow Integration Network) platform for digital trade records and instant document verification. Connected 34 government systems in Kenya for trade data verification; piloted tokenized warehouse receipts in Rwanda.
• TradeMark AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for TWIN platform, focusing on trade facilitation and modernization across Africa.
• World Economic ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for TWIN platform, contributing to global trade facilitation initiatives.
• Institute of Export and International TradecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for TWIN platform, providing expertise in international trade standards and export procedures.
• Global Alliance for Trade FacilitationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for TWIN platform, focused on reducing trade barriers and enabling digital trade across borders.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership initiated in 2018 focused on agricultural development and food security across Africa.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Major philanthropic foundation funding global health, digital financial inclusion, and governance programmes in Africa and South Asia. TBI co-organizes the Indonesia Financial Inclusion Summit with Gates Foundation and deploys similar digital ID and health-system tools, making it a comparable partner-and-thematic peer.
• Clinton Foundation: Closest structural peer — a former US president's non-profit foundation that delivers global health, economic development, and governance programmes in Africa and emerging markets. Highly comparable in founder-led political brand, non-partisan positioning, and embedded country programmes.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): UN's global development network implementing governance, poverty reduction, and digital inclusion programmes across Africa and the Middle East. Active partner and partial competitor to TBI, with overlapping mandates on digital transformation, health systems, and democratic governance.
• Dalberg: Global strategy consultancy focused exclusively on development, humanitarian, and social-sector clients, with deep African presence. Competes directly with TBI for government advisory mandates on economic reform, digital transformation, and policy implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Eurasia Group: Political risk and advisory firm founded by Ian Bremmer that advises governments, corporations, and investors on geopolitical strategy. Closely comparable to TBI in providing high-level political advisory to heads of state on geopolitics, positioning, and reform, including Africa and Middle East coverage.

Emerging players

• Brookings Institution: Major US-based think tank producing policy research on governance, development, and technology that influences government reform agendas globally. Comparable in policy-research-to-advisory pipeline and in shaping public-sector decision-making, though Brookings is research-led while TBI is implementation-led.
• Genesis Analytics: Africa-based consultancy delivering development economics, monitoring and evaluation, and public sector advisory across Sub-Saharan Africa. Overlaps with TBI's African Government Advisory mandate, particularly on economic reform and digital transformation engagements.

Broad incumbents

• FTI Consulting: Global advisory firm with a public sector and geopolitical practices providing strategic communications, policy advisory, and crisis support to governments. Comparable in serving heads of government on strategic communications, geopolitical positioning, and reform-related advisory mandates.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Top-tier strategy consultancy with a dedicated public sector practice working on government reform, digital transformation, and economic strategy — overlapping directly with TBI's Government Advisory mandate across multiple African and Middle Eastern geographies.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting firm with a substantial public-sector and government advisory practice that competes with TBI for reform mandates in Africa, the Middle East, and the UK. Comparable in serving heads of state on strategy and delivery, but operates as a for-profit with much larger bench strength.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/instituteGC
• Facebookfacebook.com/instituteglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tony-blair-institute-for-global-change

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tony Blair Institute for Global Change