Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum

What Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum does

Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF) is an independent, non-partisan think tank and UK-registered charity (charity number 1198630; company number 12116147) operating from Cambridge with a mailing address in London (201 Haverstock Hill, NW3 4QG). The organisation produces original policy research, publishes the Manara Magazine and a weekly Strategic Brief newsletter, and convenes keynote speeches, panel debates, and Track II roundtables for UK policymakers, diplomats, academics, and business leaders. Its primary outputs target UK Parliament and Whitehall, the London diplomatic community, and MENA-focused scholars, with thematic coverage spanning geopolitics, trade, critical minerals, AI diplomacy, and women's rights. The core technology stack is a standard WordPress/Elementor/WooCommerce publishing platform with no proprietary technical features; the organisation's intellectual output is editorial and research content rather than software products.

MENAF runs five named programmes: the Women's Leadership Initiative (directed by Dr. Nina Ansary), the Young Leaders' Initiative, the Critical Minerals Initiative, the Applied History Initiative, and the Mahsa Jina Amini Fellowship (launched September 2025). Partnerships include the UK Abraham Accords Group (UKAAG, co-produced UK AI Diplomacy paper, April 2025), the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore (co-hosted event May 2026), and Audere International (Kurdistan workshop, April 2023). Leadership comprises President Shlomo Roiter Jesner and Executive Vice President Patrik Kurath, who also serves as Acting Managing Editor of Manara Magazine. Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees.

MENAF is funded through charitable donations and grants (per its Funding page) and operates as a non-commercial entity: all publications and public events are provided free of charge. No pricing model, commercial product revenue, or sponsorship pricing is disclosed. The business model is philanthropic/institutional grant funding supporting free public-good research outputs, with no disclosed revenue figures or audited accounts.

Name

Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum

Legal name

Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum Ltd

Website

https://cmenaf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF) is a UK-registered independent think tank and charity that publishes policy research, the Manara Magazine, and a Strategic Brief, and convenes events for UK policymakers, diplomats, and academics on Middle East and North Africa strategy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable funding and donations: MENAF is a registered UK charity (Charity number: 1198630) and a private limited company (Company number: 12116147). Its funding sources include charitable donations and grant funding, as described on its Funding page. The organisation's primary output (publications, events, policy research) is provided free of charge to the public, suggesting a funding model based on philanthropic or institutional grant funding rather than direct revenue generation.
2. Event and sponsorship revenue: The Forum hosts paid or sponsored events including keynote speeches, expert panel debates, and roundtable discussions. Sponsors and partners (such as UKAAG for joint publications) contribute to or co-fund activities. Revenue is generated through event partnerships and potentially ticket fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MENAF is a charitable think tank that publishes original policy research and commentary on the Middle East and North Africa region, including the Manara Magazine, the Strategic Brief weekly newsletter, and downloadable policy papers. It complements its publishing activity by convening expert events such as keynote speeches, panel debates, roundtables, and Track II dialogues for policymakers, diplomats, scholars, and business leaders. It also runs talent-development programmes (Women's Leadership Initiative, Young Leaders' Initiative, Mahsa Jina Amini Fellowship) and thematic initiatives (Critical Minerals Initiative, Applied History Initiative).

Product overview

Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum (MENAF) is an independent, non-partisan think tank and registered charity based at the University of Cambridge. The organization offers a portfolio of publications (Manara Magazine and Strategic Brief), policy research programs, and hosted events. It operates several initiatives including the Women's Leadership Initiative, Young Leaders' Initiative, Critical Minerals Initiative, Applied History Initiative, and the Mahsa Jina Amini Fellowship. These programs collectively foster scholarly dialogue, provide independent analysis to policymakers, and advance policies that secure Britain's role in the MENA region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Manara Magazine: A publication featuring political analysis and strategic commentary on Middle East and North Africa affairs
• Strategic Brief
• Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI)
• Young Leaders' Initiative
• Critical Minerals Initiative (CMI)
• Applied History Initiative (AHI)
• Mahsa Jina Amini Fellowship

Products and services

• Manara Magazine Flagship publication covering political analysis, strategy, and commentary on Middle East and North Africa affairs, featuring articles by scholars, analysts, and policymakers.
• Strategic Brief Concise weekly news summary covering recent events in the Middle East and North Africa region with forward-looking projections.
• Policy Research Publicly available research projects and policy insights addressing key regional issues including trade agreements, AI diplomacy, and regional security.
• Events Forum-hosted events including keynote speeches, expert panel debates, roundtable discussions, and Track II dialogues for business, policy, and diplomatic communities.
• Women's Leadership Initiative Initiative promoting open, inclusive dialogue among scholars, activists, thought leaders, business leaders, and policy practitioners about women's rights issues in MENA.
• Young Leaders' Initiative Fellowship-style programme supporting emerging scholars, policymakers, and leaders committed to advancing knowledge about the MENA region.
• Critical Minerals Initiative Initiative fostering relationships between private sector, policymaking, diplomatic circles, and academia to analyse critical minerals mining, refining, and trade from a British foreign policy perspective.
• Applied History Initiative Research hub encouraging historians to apply historical expertise to Middle East policy issues and supporting policymakers with historical insight.
• Mahsa Jina Amini Fellowship Fellowship dedicated to supporting emerging female scholars, policymakers, leaders, and advocates committed to driving change in Iran and the MENA region and advancing women's rights and social justice.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quoted by Professor Brendan Simms (University of Cambridge) as 'the fastest-growing such venture in Cambridge' for dispassionate Middle East discussion.

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore (MEI NUS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Collaborative co-host of the event 'China, Energy and Geopolitics during the Middle East Crisis' held on 11 May 2026. The partnership brings together MENAF's MENA focus with MEI NUS's Asia-Pacific regional expertise for a cross-regional dialogue.
• Audere InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2023Audere International co-hosted a high-level policy workshop at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge with MENAF in April 2023 for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and UK Relations research project, attended by senior researchers, energy experts, and policymakers from Iraq and the wider region.
• UK Abraham Accords Group (UKAAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKAAG is a non-partisan, non-profit UK-based organisation dedicated to supporting the Abraham Accords. MENAF co-produced the policy paper 'UK AI Diplomacy: Boosting British Influence in MENA and Strengthening the Abraham Accords' with UKAAG, combining MENAF's research capabilities with UKAAG's parliamentary access and Abraham Accords advocacy network.
• Middle East Institute (MEI NUS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMENAF has collaborated with the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore on cross-regional geopolitical events and dialogues.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): London-based foreign policy think tank producing independent research on international affairs, with a strong Middle East and North Africa programme. MENAF mirrors Chatham House's independent, London-anchored policy-research model but is significantly smaller and more MENA-niche.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): Global think tank producing strategic analysis including on MENA through the IISS-Middle East office. MENAF competes for the same diplomatic, defence, and academic audiences on regional security strategy.
• Brookings Institution: Major US policy research organisation with a substantive Center for Middle East Policy. MENAF occupies the same MENA policy-research and convening niche but operates at a much smaller scale and from a UK base.
• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK defence and security think tank producing research and convening policymakers on security issues including MENA. MENAF's Track II dialogues, hybrid warfare research, and applied history framing overlap with RUSI's security-and-strategy remit.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global foreign policy think tank producing independent analysis with significant Middle East programming. Comparable to MENAF in producing original research and convening decision-makers on regional geopolitics.
• Atlantic Council: US-based foreign policy think tank with a MENA strategy programme focused on regional security and economic partnerships. Comparable convening-oriented, transatlantic policy model serving government and business audiences on MENA issues.
• Wilson Center Middle East Program: Non-partisan US policy forum with a Middle East Program publishing research and convening scholars and officials. MENAF's blend of original research, publications, and Track II convening mirrors this model at a smaller UK-centric scale.

Emerging players

• Henry Jackson Society: UK foreign affairs think tank producing policy research and commentaries on geopolitics including MENA. Shares a UK base, focus on transatlantic foreign policy, and a younger, fast-growing profile relative to the major incumbents — comparable positioning to MENAF.

Direct peers

• Middle East Research Institute (MEMRI): Specialist MENA research organisation translating and analysing regional media and policy for Western audiences. Directly comparable niche focus on the Middle East and similar translation-of-analysis value proposition, though with a very different methodological approach.
• Middle East Institute (MEI, Washington DC): US think tank dedicated solely to MENA policy analysis, publishing original research and convening experts on regional economics, security, and politics. MENAF is a directly comparable MENA-focused policy research outfit, differentiated mainly by UK/Cambridge positioning and smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CambridgeMENAF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChqiNwN16KlrSg8yIuwO2UA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CamMENAF
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/cambridge-middle-east-and-north-africa-forum
• Instagraminstagram.com/cambridgemenaf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum