What Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) does

ACODE is an independent, non-partisan public policy research and advocacy think tank founded in 1999 and headquartered at Plot 96, Kanjokya Street, Kampala, Uganda. It conducts policy research, policy outreach, capacity building, and monitoring of policy implementation across four programme areas — Environment and Natural Resources, Democracy Peace and Security, Economic Governance, and Science Technology and Innovation — serving government MDAs, Parliament, local government councils, civil society, development partners, and media primarily in Uganda with select engagement across East and Southern Africa. Its core 'products' are policy publications (research papers, briefing papers, fact sheets, working papers, dialogue reports, infographics), two flagship programmatic methodologies — the Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative (LGCSCI, expanded to 35 districts since its 2009 launch) and Civic Engagement Meetings (CEMs) / Citizen Engagement Action Plans (CEAPs) — plus topic newsletters, capacity building training, and event-based convenings.

ACODE generates income primarily through restricted and unrestricted grants from international development partners (including IDRC, the Mott Foundation, Oxfam, and Global Financial Integrity) and procurement-based consultancy contracts with government agencies and multilateral organisations (e.g., NEMA policy reviews, climate change budget compliance assessments against NDPIV). Its go-to-market is relationship-led and coalition-driven: it works through formal partnerships with government institutions (Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Finance, NPA, NFA), Parliament, and civil society networks (CSCO, CSBAG, CAN-U, ENR CSO Network), and disseminates outputs through its website, media engagement, public dialogues, and direct training of local leaders. It was recognised among the Top-100 Think Tanks worldwide in the 2017 Global Think Tank Index published by the University of Pennsylvania.

Name

Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE)

Legal name

Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment

Website

https://acode-u.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACODE is an independent Ugandan public policy think tank, founded in 1999, that conducts policy research, advocacy, and capacity building for government, civil society, and development partners across East and Southern Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

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. Grant Funding and Donor Support: ACODE is a non-profit civil society organisation that operates primarily through grants and funding from international development partners and donors. Funding supports policy research, advocacy programmes, capacity building initiatives, and project implementation across its focus areas including environment and natural resources, democracy and peace security, economic governance, and science, technology and innovation.
2. Consultancy Services: ACODE generates revenue by providing consultancy services to government agencies, multilateral organisations, and civil society partners. Recent consultancies include compliance assessments of national budgets to climate change interventions in NDPIV, baseline surveys for civic engagement projects, and studies on environmental justice and energy transition. These engagements are procurement-based and typically tendered publicly.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACODE is an independent public policy research and advocacy think tank that conducts policy research and analysis, drives policy outreach and advocacy campaigns, delivers capacity building training for government officials and civil society, and monitors policy implementation across Uganda and East and Southern Africa. Its work spans four programmatic areas (Environment and Natural Resources; Democracy, Peace and Security; Economic Governance; and Science, Technology and Innovation) and produces publications including research papers, briefing papers, fact sheets, working papers, dialogue reports, and infographics.

Product overview

ACODE is an independent public policy research and advocacy think tank that operates as a unified research and advocacy platform rather than a product-based company. Its portfolio consists primarily of research publications (papers, briefing papers, fact sheets, working papers, reports, infographics), program initiatives like the Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative and Civic Engagement Meetings methodology, and periodic newsletter publications. The organization does not develop or sell software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Research Publications A catalogue of research papers, briefing papers, fact sheets, working papers, dialogue reports, and infographics covering public policy issues for policymakers, researchers, civil society, and the general public in Uganda and East Africa.
• Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative (LGCSCI) A capacity building and assessment programme that evaluates the performance of elected local government leaders, providing objective assessments shared with the electorate to encourage positive competition, enhance political accountability, and improve service delivery across districts in Uganda.
• Civic Engagement Meetings (CEMs) and Citizen Engagement Action Plans (CEAPs) A structured civic engagement methodology that empowers citizens, including marginalised groups such as women and youth, to participate in public affairs, draft petitions, and hold local councils and leaders accountable for service delivery.
• Consultancy Services Procurement-based consultancy services to government agencies, multilateral organisations, and civil society partners, including compliance assessments (e.g., national budgets to climate change interventions in NDPIV), baseline surveys for civic engagement projects, performance reviews of national policies, and environmental justice studies.
• Capacity Building Training Training programmes for local government leaders, district councillors, Parliamentarians, and civil society on their mandated roles, public finance management, governance accountability, and oversight responsibilities.
• Policy Briefers and Newsletters (Local Governance Briefer, Economic Governance Briefer, Green Economy Briefer) Periodic newsletter and briefer publications, including the Local Governance Briefer, Economic Governance Briefer, and Green Economy Briefer, providing updates on contemporary public policy issues distributed to subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 petitions submitted to local councils across multiple districts since 2018 through CEMs and CEAPs methodologies
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Climate Action Network-Uganda (CAN-U)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024ACODE partnered with Climate Action Network-Uganda and the ENR CSO Network to spearhead a national campaign ahead of COP29, leading to the creation of a CSO Position Paper with 12 out of 13 recommendations adopted into Uganda's official COP29 position.
• Environment and Natural Resources Civil Society Organisation Network (ENR CSO Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024ACODE partnered with ENR CSO Network alongside CAN-U to coordinate civil society's climate position ahead of COP29, culminating in a joint CSO Position Paper influencing Uganda's national climate agenda.
• Oxfam in UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2024ACODE and Oxfam in Uganda jointly implement a project to strengthen capacity for effective women's economic empowerment (WEE) and unpaid care work interventions in Uganda. The 18-month project is part of the Growth and Equal Opportunities for Women (GrOW) East Africa Initiative of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
• Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas (CSCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE is a key member of the Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas (CSCO), a coalition that coordinates civil society engagement on oil and gas governance in Uganda. ACODE and CSCO have jointly published press releases, policy statements, and research reports on extractive sector transparency, including EITI implementation, oil tax obligations, and beneficial ownership transparency.
• Ministry of Local Government (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE partners with the Ministry of Local Government on the Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative, which enhances political accountability of elected local leaders and civic engagement across 35 districts in Uganda.
• Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE collaborates with the Ministry of Finance on budget analysis, fiscal policy reform, public finance management advocacy, and climate finance tracking. ACODE participates in national budget conferences and provides analysis on budget compliance with climate change goals and NDP priorities.
• National Forestry Authority (NFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE and NFA have strengthened their partnership to protect Uganda's forest reserves, promote sustainable forest management, enhance transparency, and strengthen community engagement in conservation. The partnership supports Uganda's National Forest Plan 2012 and Vision 2040.
• National Planning Authority (NPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE partners with the National Planning Authority on climate finance tracking, budget compliance assessments against NDP priorities, and integrating circular economy principles into national development planning frameworks.
• Global Financial Integrity (GFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE has partnered with Global Financial Integrity on multiple research publications addressing illicit financial flows, beneficial ownership transparency, trade-based money laundering, domestic resource mobilisation, and Uganda's FATF grey list exit. Joint publications include reports on Uganda's mining legal regime, beneficial ownership laws, and TBML analysis.
• ULGA SecretariatsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE collaborates with the Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) on local governance advocacy, capacity building for local government leaders, and the Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative.
• Agency for Community Empowerment (ACE)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE partnered with the Agency for Community Empowerment in Nebbi District to organise civic engagement meetings that empowered residents to petition the District Council for the reconstruction of the collapsed Umonda bridge.
• Nakere Rural Women Activists (NARWOA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE partnered with NARWOA in Kotido District to hold Civic Engagement Meetings with women in Logoman Parish, empowering them to petition leaders for road maintenance and budget allocation.
• Karamoja Herders of the Horn (KHH)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE partners with Karamoja Herders of the Horn (KHH) under the Strengthening Civic Engagement project in Karamoja and West Nile regions, working with indigenous communities on forest governance and community rights.
• Heifer International UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACODE partners with Heifer International Uganda on the project 'Strengthening the Productive Use of Solar Energy Services in Agricultural Value Chains in Uganda - Phase II', implemented under the Distributed Renewable Energy Ecosystem Model (DREEM) Hub funded by the Mott Foundation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET): Pan-African policy research and advisory institution promoting economic transformation across Africa; comparable to ACODE in scale, focus on economic governance, and donor-funded research model.
• South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA): Leading African policy research think tank producing research on governance, international affairs, and economic policy; comparable to ACODE as a Sub-Saharan policy research institution with a similar donor-funded model.
• Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI): Global organization focused on extractive sector governance and resource revenue management—directly comparable to ACODE's oil and gas governance, EITI engagement, and beneficial ownership work.
• Africa Policy Research Institute: African policy research organization producing independent research on governance and development—comparable in mandate, research output, and Sub-Saharan Africa scope to ACODE.
• Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO): Uganda-based NGO focused on energy and extractive sector governance, climate justice, and civic engagement—directly comparable to ACODE's extractives, climate, and civic accountability programming in Uganda.
• Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG): Uganda-based coalition advancing budget transparency and public finance accountability; comparable to ACODE's economic governance and budget compliance work with the Ministry of Finance.
• Global Financial Integrity (GFI): International organization producing research on illicit financial flows, beneficial ownership, and trade-based money laundering—an existing ACODE partner whose research topics and methods directly overlap ACODE's economic governance program.
• Climate Action Network-Uganda (CAN-U): Uganda coalition coordinating civil society climate advocacy—an existing ACODE partner with directly overlapping climate justice, COP engagement, and policy advocacy mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): Larger UK-based global development think tank with Africa programs covering governance, climate, and economic policy; comparable in research and policy model but operates at materially larger scale than ACODE.
• International Crisis Group: Global policy research organization working on conflict prevention and governance in Africa; comparable in policy research and advocacy approach but at significantly larger scale and with conflict-focused thematic specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advocates-coalition-for-development-and-environment-acode

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 Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE)