The Sanneh Institute

What The Sanneh Institute does

The Sanneh Institute (TSI) is a private, non-profit scholarly research institute founded in February 2020 at the University of Ghana in Legon, Accra. Named after the late Prof. Lamin Sanneh — Yale's D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity — the institute is dedicated to the advanced study of religion and society in Africa, with particular emphasis on Christian-Muslim relations, interfaith understanding, and policy reform. Its work spans research, translation of Arabic and African-language manuscripts, peer-reviewed publication (the Journal of Islamic and Christian Thought in Africa), post-doctoral research fellowships, and structured engagement with religious leaders, academic institutions, and government bodies.

TSI delivers its programs through a small set of integrated platforms: a Canvas-hosted Online Graduate Course, a recurring monthly lecture series on Zoom with Facebook Live streaming, a YouTube archive, in-person academic conferences and national consultations, and the Sanneh Collection library housed on the University of Ghana campus. Active projects include the Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy (CCRL) training program covering 50+ Senior High Schools across 12 of Ghana's 16 regions, the three-year Templeton Religion Trust–funded project on the pacifist tradition of Islam in West Africa, and the Witchcraft Accusations Project, which through the Coalition Against Witchcraft Accusations contributed to Parliament passing the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill in July 2023. The institute also hosts the West Africa Regional Secretariat of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable under an MOU signed in Washington, D.C. in May 2025.

TSI's revenue model is grant- and donation-driven rather than commercial. It accepts donations via Stanbic Bank (Ghana), PayPal, and earmarked online funds (Building Fund, Seminars & Workshops, Translation, Undergraduate programs), and receives multi-year programmatic grants from funders including Templeton Religion Trust, Fieldstead and Company, and partners such as the World Faiths Development Dialogue. Its beneficiary segments include academic scholars, religious leaders, educational institutions (SHSs and universities), government and policy makers, civil society organizations, and students; it does not sell products or services commercially and discloses no commercial pricing.

Name

The Sanneh Institute

Legal name

The Sanneh Institute

Website

https://tsinet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sanneh Institute is a Ghana-based non-profit research institute that studies religion and society in Africa, with a focus on Christian-Muslim relations, interfaith dialogue, and policy reform, serving scholars, religious leaders, educational institutions, and civil society through research, publications, education, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The institute accepts donations through bank transfers (Stanbic Bank, Ghana), PayPal, and online donation platforms. Donors can contribute to specific initiatives including the Building Fund, Seminars & Workshops, Translation projects, and Undergraduate programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Sanneh Institute (TSI) is a scholarly research and education organization that conducts advanced study of religion and society in Africa with a focus on Christian-Muslim relations. It delivers post-doctoral fellowships, peer-reviewed academic publications (the Journal of Islamic and Christian Thought in Africa), online graduate courses, monthly public lectures, seminars, translation projects, and policy advocacy on issues such as witchcraft accusations and religious accommodation in schools.

Product overview

The Sanneh Institute (TSI) is a scholarly research institute dedicated to the advanced study of religion and society in Africa, with particular focus on Christian-Muslim relations. The organization operates as a unified research and education platform offering multiple interconnected programs: academic publications including the peer-reviewed Journal of Islamic and Christian Thought in Africa (JICTA); educational programs including the Research Fellows' Program, Online Graduate Courses hosted on Canvas LMS, and TSI Monthly Lectures via Zoom and Facebook; community engagement through Christian-Muslim Scripture Sharing and The Sanneh School; and policy-focused projects addressing witchcraft accusations, religious accommodation in schools, and interfaith dialogue. TSI's work spans research, translation, publications, education, and advocacy, serving religious leaders, scholars, academic institutions, and the wider African society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal of Islamic and Christian Thought in Africa (JICTA)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% of students and school authorities reported limited knowledge of religions other than their own, indicating significant need for TSI's cross-cultural religious literacy programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• International Religious Freedom SecretariatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2025TSI signed MOU to launch and host the West Africa Regional Secretariat of the Religious Freedom Roundtable. The IRF Roundtable brings together people across political and theological differences focused on international religious freedom as a foundation for stable democracies.
• World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Collaboration on Strategic Religious Engagement (SRE) project and capacity-building workshops on character formation and moral education for Senior High School chaplains in Ghana.
• Baraka Policy Institute (BPI)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Commissioned by TSI to conduct research on the rising levels of indiscipline in SHSs, informing capacity-building workshops for school chaplains.
• Coalition Against Witchcraft Accusations (CAWA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020TSI formed the coalition with ActionAid Ghana, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), and Amnesty International to campaign against witchcraft accusations. Coalition successfully advocated for passage of Anti-Witchcraft Accusations Bill in Parliament.
• University of GhanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSI is housed at and affiliated to University of Ghana, working closely with the Department for the Study of Religions. Land donated by University of Ghana for building project.
• Yale UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed for Prof. Lamin Sanneh who was D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale Divinity School and Professor of History at Yale University. TSI operates in close partnership with Yale, continuing Sanneh's legacy.
• US State DepartmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamantha Monteith, Foreign Affairs Officer from the Office of International Religious Freedom, visited TSI office along with US Embassy Accra staff to discuss promoting religious freedom and interfaith dialogue in the region.
• Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS)-GermanysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelegation from EMS-Germany visited TSI to learn about its work and discuss potential collaboration in interfaith relations and social justice issues.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID): Intergovernmental organization promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue globally through research, convening, and programs. Comparable mission focus on Christian-Muslim and multi-faith engagement; larger scale and intergovernmental rather than university-affiliated.
• Pew Research Center: Major US-based research organization producing global studies on religion, including the Religious Landscape surveys and detailed reports on religion in Africa. Comparable as a producer of rigorous, evidence-based research on religious demography, practice, and public life, though much larger and broader in scope than TSI.
• Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs (Georgetown): University-based research center examining religion in global affairs through scholarship, convening, and policy engagement. Comparable to TSI as a scholar-practitioner bridge that convenes faith leaders and policymakers, though based in a US university rather than a West African host institution.

Direct peers

• African Centre for Religion and Society (University of KwaZulu-Natal): Southern African research center studying religion, society, and public life, similar to TSI's Ghana-focused work. Comparable as a university-affiliated African research center examining religion's social and political role, though anchored in South Africa rather than West Africa.
• Baraka Policy Institute (BPI): Already a TSI commissioned-research partner; Ghana-based policy research organization engaging religion, education, and public policy. Closest in-country peer as a Ghana-based policy think tank working with religious and educational actors.
• International Religious Freedom Roundtable: Multi-stakeholder convening organization on international religious freedom. TSI hosts its West Africa Regional Secretariat, making IRF Roundtable the closest institutional peer in convening role and mission, even though TSI is the regional affiliate rather than a chapter.
• Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life: University of Oxford-affiliated research initiative studying religion's role in public life globally. Comparable as a research center producing scholarship at the intersection of religion and society, though based in a UK university and broader in geographic focus.
• World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD): Already a TSI partner; WFDD operates at the religion-and-development intersection and works with multi-faith actors on policy. Closest peer in mission (interfaith engagement for social outcomes) and organizational model, though based in Washington, D.C.

Regional players

• Tangaza University College: Kenyan Catholic-affiliated university offering programs in theology, interreligious studies, and peacebuilding. Comparable as an East African higher-education institution focused on religious studies and interfaith formation, though denominational rather than interfaith in its positioning.
• Daystar University: Christian liberal arts university in Kenya with a strong communications and theology faculty. Comparable as a faith-rooted African university engaging religion and society, though in a different country and focused on degree programs rather than interfaith research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=Lus7g9Ea2MU
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesannehinstitute
• Xx.com/TSI_Ghana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sanneh-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Sanneh Institute