Africa Centre for Energy Policy

What Africa Centre for Energy Policy does

Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is an independent non-profit think tank founded in 2010 and headquartered in Accra, Ghana, focused on energy and extractive sector governance across Africa. Its work centers on producing evidence-based research and policy analysis on oil and gas, power, mining, fiscal governance, climate change, and energy transition, with the explicit aim of linking research evidence to advocacy to improve transparency and accountability in resource governance. ACEP serves government policymakers, civil society organizations, media, and youth through a portfolio that includes flagship publications (the Africa Oil Governance Report covering 18 APPA member countries, Debt Tracker, Climate Action in Ghana), annual and quarterly monitoring outputs (ACEP Radar), public transparency platforms (Petroleum Contract Monitor, Electricity Monitor, Our Oil Money, OilMoneyTV), and convening and training programs (Future of Energy Conference, AFREIKH Summer School, NextGen Resource Governance Leaders Program, Africa Climate Academy, Resource Governance Campus Hub, Youth Champions for Fiscal Accountability Fellowship, and the EICCG Fund).

ACEP operates a community-led go-to-market model rather than a commercial sales motion. The organization is funded primarily through grants and donations from international foundations and development partners, with Ford Foundation and OSIWA named as core funders. Its distribution relies on free public access to publications via its website, direct stakeholder convening, coalition advocacy (notably the CSO Alliance coordinated by ACEP), and earned media through press statements. Partnerships span international think tanks (NRGI, IMANI), local civil society (WACAM), and academic collaborators. ACEP has recorded tangible policy outcomes, including advocacy credited with Aker Energy's relinquishment of its 80% interest in the South Deepwater Tano contract area and opposition to the Agyapa deal.

The organization is led by Executive Director Benjamin Boakye. Revenue, headcount, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed; outputs are provided free of charge to stakeholders. There is no commercial product, proprietary technology stack, or AI/ML capability underlying ACEP's offerings — its value is delivered through human-authored analysis, convening, and advocacy.

Name

Africa Centre for Energy Policy

Legal name

Africa Centre for Energy Policy

Website

https://acep.africa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is an Accra-based non-profit think tank founded in 2010 that produces research and advocacy on oil and gas, mining, power, fiscal governance, and energy transition to serve governments, civil society, media, and youth across Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advocacy

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Climate Finance, Carbon Markets & MRV Systems (BPADALAB)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Energy governance consulting
• Extractive sector advocacy
• Climate policy research
• Resource governance training

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Donor Funding: ACEP operates as a non-profit policy research organization funded primarily through grants and donations from international foundations, development partners, and philanthropic organizations committed to good governance in Africa's extractive sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is an Accra-based think tank that produces evidence-based policy research, monitors contracts and revenues, and runs advocacy campaigns on energy and extractive sector governance in Ghana and Africa. It operates flagship research reports (Africa Oil Governance Report, Debt Tracker, Climate Action in Ghana), online transparency monitors for petroleum contracts, electricity and oil revenues, and capacity-building programs such as the Future of Energy Conference, AFREIKH Summer School, NextGen Resource Governance Leaders Program, and the Africa Climate Academy.

Product overview

ACEP operates as a policy research and advocacy organization offering a portfolio of research publications, educational programs, conference platforms, and monitoring tools focused on extractive sector governance. The core offerings include flagship reports (Africa Oil Governance Report, Debt Tracker, Climate Action in Ghana), annual and quarterly publications (Future of Energy Conference, ACEP Radar), educational programs (AFREIKH Summer School, NextGen Resource Governance Leaders Program, Africa Climate Academy), public monitoring platforms (Petroleum Contract Monitor, Electricity Monitor, Our Oil Money, OilMoneyTV), and knowledge outputs (research papers, policy briefs, press statements). The organization functions as an integrated knowledge ecosystem combining research, education, advocacy, and citizen engagement tools for energy and extractive governance across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Future of Energy Conference (FEC): Annual conference platform examining Africa’s financing needs and strategic pathways for energy access and economic transformation
• Africa Climate Academy
• NextGen Resource Governance Leaders Program
• AFREIKH Summer School
• ACEP Radar
• Electricity Monitor
• Petroleum Contract Monitor
• Our Oil Money
• OilMoneyTV

Products and services

• Africa Oil Governance Report Flagship publication assessing governance efforts of 18 APPA member countries in oil and gas management, evaluating transparency, accountability, corruption, policy and regulatory issues across the African petroleum sector.
• Future of Energy Conference (FEC) Annual flagship conference convening stakeholders to discuss financing energy access, Africa's economic transformation, climate action, and sustainable development in the energy and extractive sectors.
• NextGen Resource Governance Leaders Program Fellowship designed to equip young people with practical skills in resource governance, fiscal accountability, and sustainable development leadership.
• AFREIKH Summer School Annual intensive program on governance of extractives industries in Anglophone Africa, conducted in partnership with NRGI and other institutions.
• Africa Climate Academy Training and knowledge platform focused on climate action, energy transition, and sustainable development for African practitioners and policymakers.
• Youth Champions for Fiscal Accountability Fellowship Fellowship equipping young people with practical skills in fiscal accountability and resource governance.
• Petroleum Contract Monitor Online platform monitoring petroleum contracts and agreements in Ghana for transparency and public accountability.
• Electricity Monitor Online platform tracking electricity sector performance, pricing, and governance in Ghana.
• Our Oil Money Public transparency platform tracking how Ghana's oil revenues are managed and utilized for national development.
• OilMoneyTV Video platform providing educational content and monitoring reports on oil revenue management and extractive sector governance.
• ACEP Radar Quarterly monitoring publication tracking developments in climate change, energy transition, and sustainable development policy across Africa.
• Debt Tracker Periodical monitoring Ghana's debt sustainability and key fiscal governance decisions, tracking the relationship between debt levels and national economic indicators.
• Climate Action in Ghana Analysis of Ghana's climate resilience through policy frameworks, innovation, and community-driven solutions for sustainable development.
• Resource Governance Campus Hub Campus-based platform for engaging students and young professionals in resource governance education and advocacy.
• EICCG Fund Investment fund supporting innovation and capacity building in energy transition and clean energy solutions across Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved Ghana millions of dollars through advocacy that led to Aker's AGM relinquishing its 80% interest in South Deepwater Tano contract area
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• IMANIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner for joint research and advocacy on Ghana's energy and fiscal governance issues. Collaborated on key investigations including the GRA-SML deal analysis, Genser-GNPC gas deal committee report response, and joint press statements on policy matters.
• CSO AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of civil society organizations coordinated by ACEP for joint advocacy on extractive sector governance, including the Agyapa deal opposition campaign and open letters to the President of Ghana on petroleum sector issues.
• WACAM (Wassa Amenfi East Citizens Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization partnered with ACEP under OSIWA auspices for the Sheini Iron Ore fiscal benchmarking study, bringing community voice and local perspective to extractive governance research.
• NRGI (Natural Resource Governance Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner collaborating on the 2024 Summer School on Governance of Extractives Industries in Anglophone Africa, bringing global expertise and resources to regional capacity building initiatives.
• International Universities and Think TanksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration program with renowned universities and think tanks on Chinese National Oil Companies and economic development of African oil producers, expanding ACEP's international research network and expertise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA): Regional foundation that funds ACEP's extractives governance work, including the Sheini Iron Ore study. Comparable as a key West African civil society ecosystem actor supporting transparency and accountability in natural resource governance.

Emerging players

• International Budget Partnership (IBP): Global organization focused on public finance accountability, including in resource-rich developing countries. Comparable through its fiscal transparency work that intersects with ACEP's resource revenue management focus.
• Global Financial Integrity (GFI): Washington-based think tank producing research on illicit financial flows and trade misinvoicing. Comparable in producing research that informs African fiscal governance and resource revenue transparency debates.

Direct peers

• Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI): Global resource governance think tank directly comparable to ACEP; both produce research on oil, gas, and mining governance and partner on capacity-building programs such as the AFREIKH Summer School. NRGI is larger and operates globally, while ACEP is West Africa-anchored.
• Publish What You Pay (PWYP): Global coalition focused on extractive industry transparency and accountability; directly comparable to ACEP's mission of increasing transparency around energy and extractive sector governance through research and advocacy.
• IMANI Centre for Policy and Education: Ghana-based policy think tank that collaborates with ACEP on fiscal governance investigations (GRA-SML deal, Genser-GNPC gas deal). Both organizations operate as independent think tanks conducting evidence-based research and advocacy on Ghanaian public policy issues.

Regional players

• Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG): Zimbabwe-based organization focused on extractive sector transparency and accountability. Operates as a regional peer to ACEP in Southern Africa with a comparable think-tank-plus-advocacy model for resource governance.
• South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA): Leading African policy research institute with energy and extractives governance programming. Comparable as a non-governmental African policy research organization producing influential research on natural resource governance, though broader in scope than ACEP.
• WACAM (Wassa Amenfi East Citizens Association): Ghanaian community-based organization that partnered with ACEP on the Sheini Iron Ore fiscal benchmarking study. Operates in the extractives governance space at the community level, providing ground-level perspective that complements ACEP's policy research.

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization with extensive work on energy transition, climate, and natural resource governance. Operates as a broader incumbent that overlaps with ACEP's climate action and energy transition themes but at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AcepPower
• Facebookfacebook.com/AfricaCentreForEnergyPolicy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-centre-for-energy-policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Africa Centre for Energy Policy