AFRICAN FINANCE AND ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION

What AFRICAN FINANCE AND ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION does

The African Finance and Economics Association (AFEA) is a US-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit professional association (EIN 83-2508538) serving academicians, government practitioners, and industry professionals with scholarly or professional interests in the development of Africa. Its flagship asset is the Journal of African Development (JAD), first published in 1988 and described as a top-ranked venue in Africa's development economics, distributed through the Scholarly Publishing Collective with JSTOR archives included in membership. AFEA runs three core event formats each year: sessions sponsored at the Allied Social Science Association (ASSA) meetings in January, an annual conference hosted at a rotating African partner university in July, and a slate of quarterly webinars plus a YouTube content channel. Additional offerings include a formal mentorship program pairing graduate students with experienced faculty, a working paper series capturing papers from AFEA-sponsored sessions, weekly electronic bulletins, and annual member elections for governance positions.

AFEA generates revenue through three streams: tiered annual membership dues (Student $20-$28, Member $38-$68, Sustainer $103-$300, differentiated by country income level), conference registration fees (e.g., ₦30,000-₦65,000 local / US$55-US$120 international for Nile University 2026), and tiered corporate/institutional sponsorships (Badge $5,000 through Strategic Partner $50,000, capped at 3 sponsors per tier). The association operates virtually with no fixed physical office, conducting all membership and event business through afea1.org, and is governed by an elected executive committee (President Socrates Majune, Board Chair Gbadebo Odularu, President-elect Mina Baliamoune-Lutz, Secretary/Treasurer Christian Nsiah).

AFEA's strategic positioning rests on its role as a bridge between African-focused academic research and African policy/practice. Strategic alliances with the African Development Bank (annual AfDB Luncheon Colloquium at ASSA), the National Economic Association (joint ASSA sessions), the Eastern and Western Economics Associations (US regional reach), and a rotation of African host universities (University of Ghana 2024, University of Nairobi, Nile University of Nigeria 2026) provide distribution and credibility that a lean non-profit could not replicate independently. Membership is open globally (Africa, North America, Europe, Asia), with a publicly disclosed financial structure but no publicly disclosed revenue or membership figures.

Name

AFRICAN FINANCE AND ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION

Legal name

African Finance and Economics Association

Website

https://afea1.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AFEA is a US 501(c)(3) professional association serving academics, government officials, and industry practitioners focused on African finance and economics, operating the Journal of African Development (since 1988), annual ASSA sessions, and a rotating African university-hosted annual conference, funded through tiered membership dues, conference fees, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Academic Research Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Third-Party Short-Term Academic Program Providers (Multi-Discipline) (EDAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Professional association
• Academic publishing
• Development economics
• Conference organization
• Scholarly research

Headquarters

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Membership Dues: AFEA generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by individual members, student members, sustaining members, and institutional members. Membership includes electronic access to the Journal of African Development (JAD) publications including JSTOR archive issues.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue generated from conference registration fees for the annual ASSA conference and Africa Annual Conference. Fees vary by participant type (local, international, student, emeritus) and include early-bird discounts.
3. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate and institutional sponsors support AFEA conferences at various tiers (Strategic Partner $50,000, Platinum $35,000, Gold $20,000, Silver $10,000, Registration $6,000, Badge $5,000). Sponsorship can be paid in Kenyan Shilling equivalent.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AFEA operates a membership-based professional association that delivers academic publishing services via the peer-reviewed Journal of African Development (JAD), hosts annual conferences in Africa and ASSA sessions in North America, runs a one-on-one mentorship program pairing graduate students and tenure-track faculty with senior scholars, and disseminates research through a working paper series, newsletter bulletins, and a YouTube channel. Its services target individual academics, government officials, industry practitioners, and graduate students interested in African finance and development economics.

Product overview

AFEA is a professional association for academicians and practitioners of finance, economics, and related disciplines. Its core offerings include the Journal of African Development (JAD) as its flagship publication, annual conferences held in Africa, sessions at the ASSA annual meetings, membership programs with mentorship opportunities, an AFEA YouTube Channel for video content, a working paper series for research dissemination, and regular newsletters/bulletins for member communication. The association does not operate as a technology platform but provides academic and professional development services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal of African Development (JAD) AFEA's flagship peer-reviewed academic journal, first published in 1988 as Journal of African Finance and Economic Development. It publishes original research on all aspects of Africa's development economics — from immediate policy concerns to structural economic and development challenges — and is distributed online via the Scholarly Publishing Collective with JSTOR archives.
• AFEA Annual Conference in Africa Three-day annual conference held in Africa and hosted by a partner university (e.g., Nile University 2026, University of Nairobi Kenya, University of Ghana 2024). Brings together academics, policymakers, and industry practitioners to explore developments, challenges, and opportunities for building resilient African economies. Registration is differentiated by participant type (local/international/student/emeritus) with early-bird discounts.
• AFEA@ASSA Sessions AFEA-sponsored paper sessions, business meetings, conversation series, and the AFEA/AfDB luncheon held during the annual Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA)/AEA meetings in January. Requires ASSA conference registration in addition to AFEA membership.
• AFEA Membership Tiered annual membership program (Sustainer A/B/C, Member, Student) granting access to JAD publications and JSTOR archives, conference participation rights, mentorship programs, job alerts, voting rights in annual elections, and access to the AFEA YouTube channel. Dues are differentiated by income country category and student status.
• AFEA Mentorship Program One-on-one mentorship program administered by AFEA's standing committee pairing tenure-track faculty and graduate students with experienced faculty mentors who have solid research backgrounds in African finance and economics.
• AFEA YouTube Channel Video platform featuring discussions on pressing issues affecting Africa, recorded conference sessions, and member-contributed content. Provides content distribution beyond in-person events.
• AFEA Working Paper Series Research output series publishing papers selected for presentation at AFEA-sponsored sessions, providing an additional dissemination channel for AFEA-affiliated scholars.
• AFEA Newsletter and Bulletins Regular electronic newsletters and weekly bulletins delivered to members with first-alert announcements of upcoming events, calls for papers, new member benefits, and publication alerts.

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Economic Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFEA collaborates with NEA to sponsor joint sessions at the annual AEA/ASSA meetings. This partnership enables cross-pollination between the two African-focused economic associations and expands programming opportunities for members of both organizations.
• African Development Bank (AfDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfDB co-hosts the annual AFEA/AfDB Luncheon Colloquium during the ASSA meetings. This flagship event brings together AFEA members with AfDB leadership for dialogue on African development finance priorities.
• Nile University of NigeriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNile University of Nigeria serves as host for the AFEA 3rd Annual Conference (July 3-5, 2026) at its Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. The university provides venue, local coordination, and accommodation partnerships for conference attendees.
• University of Nairobi, Department of EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizes the AFEA Kenya Annual Conference with the Department of Economics and Development Studies. The partnership brings together academics from across Africa for the annual conference themed on building resilient African economies.
• Eastern Economics Association (EEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFEA organizes sessions at EEA conferences, providing opportunities for members to present research and network with economists in the Eastern US region.
• Western Economics Association International (WEAI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFEA organizes sessions at WEAI conferences, enabling member participation in Western US-based economics conferences.
• University of Ghana, Department of EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for AFEA Annual Conference 2024 (July 16-18) at the Cedi Conference Centre. Partnership involves local organization, venue provision, and academic program coordination.
• Scholarly Publishing CollectivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublishes and distributes the Journal of African Development (JAD) through its platform, providing online access to AFEA members and institutional subscribers worldwide.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• African Economic Research Consortium (AERC): Pan-African research network that funds and publishes economics research on Africa; competes for the same member-attention and paper-submission audience as AFEA, with comparable Africa-focused development remit.
• National Economic Association (NEA): U.S.-based professional association for economists of African descent; already a co-session partner at ASSA. Mirrors AFEA's academic/development focus and conference-led model, making it the closest direct peer.
• Eastern Economic Association (EEA): Regional economics association where AFEA already hosts sessions; operates a comparable member-driven conference and journal model targeting a subset of the economics profession.
• Western Economic Association International (WEAI): Another regional economics association where AFEA hosts sessions; structurally similar to AFEA in running conferences and outlets on economics research.

Others

• Scholarly Publishing Collective: AFEA's publishing/distribution partner for JAD; an infrastructure provider in the same academic-association ecosystem that enables AFEA's flagship journal product.
• African Development Bank (AfDB): Co-host of AFEA's flagship AfDB Luncheon Colloquium at ASSA. A major producer/funder of African economic policy research; an institutional collaborator and adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• International Economic Association (IEA): Global umbrella organization for national economics associations; covers AFEA's broader category of economics professional society at a global level.
• Royal Economic Society: U.K.-based broad economics society publishing the Economic Journal; comparable to AFEA as a member-funded scholarly society with a flagship journal and annual conference, though not Africa-focused.
• American Economic Association (AEA): Parent organization of the ASSA meetings where AFEA hosts sponsored sessions; the dominant economics association globally. A broad incumbent whose economics platform overlaps with AFEA's niche programming.
• European Economic Association (EEA Europe): European counterpart running the European Economics Association congress and journal; comparable professional-association structure with conference- and publication-driven engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfsI-2c1mzbNAruZZZfp0eA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-finance-and-economics-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AFRICAN FINANCE AND ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION