Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals

What Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals does

Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals (CEAi) is a non-profit association (Associació) founded circa 1980 and headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, with 10 employees. The organization specializes in African studies, migrations, and interculturality, operating as a bridge between academia, civil society, and public administrations in Catalonia. Over more than 35 years, it has built a portfolio of programs including research publications (Nova Àfrica articles, quarterly bulletins, urban mobility studies), academic training (postgraduate courses and diplomas with Universitat Pompeu Fabra, summer courses with Universitat Rovira i Virgili, seminars with Universitat de Barcelona), youth empowerment initiatives (Joves i Àfrica, Joves Referents for LGBTQI+ migrant youth, Joves connectant amb Àfrica), the Cartografia de Coneixements knowledge cartography program, the Afrotalks cultural dialogue series, and the International African Film Festival of Barcelona (FICAB).

CEAi does not operate proprietary technology platforms; its services are human-delivered through in-person seminars, workshops, cultural events, and physical publications. Its revenue model is multi-stream: (1) institutional grants and project funding from public entities — the Generalitat de Catalunya (Departament d'Igualtat i Feminismes), Diputació de Barcelona, Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament, and municipal governments (Barcelona, Sabadell, Terrassa, Montcada i Reixac), and increasingly international project funding via the Knowledge Alliances consortium; (2) academic course fees from university partnerships (700 EUR postgraduate, 990 EUR diploma, both with 10% CEA member discounts); and (3) individual membership fees. Customer segments are hybrid: individual beneficiaries (Catalan youth of African origin, LGBTQI+ migrant and diaspora youth, students and researchers), plus institutional customers (public administrations and universities). Distribution is community-led through civic centers, university venues, and digital platforms (centredestudisafricans.org, jovesiafrica.org, cartografiadeconeixements.org, jovesreferents.org).

The competitive moat rests on accumulated 35+ year institutional relationships, a recognized brand in Catalan African studies (validated by the 2023 CMIB award), and a multiplier-effect training pipeline that produces community-level ambassadors. The international Knowledge Alliances project (Barcelona, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda) signals a pivot toward cross-continental research partnerships. As a non-profit, CEAi faces no direct commercial competitors but operates within a constrained grant-dependent funding model that introduces concentration risk.

Name

Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals

Legal name

Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals

Website

https://centredestudisafricans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals (CEAi) is a Barcelona-based non-profit research and cultural association, founded ~1980, dedicated to African studies, migrations, and intercultural dialogue, serving Catalan youth of African origin, LGBTQI+ migrant youth, academic researchers, and Catalan public administrations through grants and university partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Educational Research Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAL

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• African studies research
• Intercultural education programs
• Anti-racism training
• Postgraduate African societies
• Community outreach services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: The association generates revenue through membership contributions (individual members can become 'soci/a' through the website), supporting the organization's operational costs.
2. Institutional grants and project financing: CEAi is primarily funded through grants and project financing from public institutions including the Generalitat de Catalunya (Departament d'Igualtat i Feminismes), the Diputació de Barcelona, the Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament, and municipal governments such as Barcelona, Sabadell, Terrassa, and Montcada i Reixac. These grants fund specific programs such as Joves Referents, Joves connectant amb Àfrica, Cartografia de Coneixements, and educational seminars.
3. Academic course and postgraduate program fees: CEAi co-organizes paid postgraduate courses (Postgrau en Societats Africanes) and diploma programs with the Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and the Rovira i Virgili University (URV). Revenue is generated through student enrollment fees (e.g., 700 EUR for postgraduate course, 990 EUR for diploma).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CEAi is a non-profit association that conducts academic research, delivers training programs, publishes studies, and runs public outreach activities focused on African societies, migrations, and interculturality in Catalonia. Its core offerings include paid postgraduate courses and diplomas (e.g., Postgrau en Societats Africanes with UPF at 700 EUR), signature programs such as Joves Referents, Joves i Àfrica, Cartografia de Coneixements, and Afrotalks, plus the FICAB International African Film Festival of Barcelona. The organization is funded primarily through public grants and individual memberships, with most seminars and events delivered free with prior registration.

Product overview

Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals (CEAi) is a non-profit research and education center with over 35 years of experience dedicated to studying African societies, migrations, and interculturality. The organization operates as a unified center offering integrated services comprising research, training/education, publications, and public outreach. Its core programs include the Knowledge Cartography (Cartografia de Coneixements) program, the Young Referents (Joves Referents) LGBTQI+ migrant youth training program, the Youth and Africa (Joves i Àfrica) initiative, and Afrotalks dialogue series. CEAi also delivers academic postgraduate courses in collaboration with Pompeu Fabra University and organizes the International African Film Festival of Barcelona (FICAB).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Joves i Àfrica: Program promoting knowledge and relationship between Catalan youth of African origin and African societies
• Cartografia de Coneixements
• Joves Referents
• Afrotalks
• Joves connectant amb Àfrica i Catalunya
• Joves Afrodescendents i Realitats Africanes

Products and services

• Recerca (Research) Academic research on African societies, migrations, and interculturality, including studies on urban mobility in African cities, educational access for African-origin youth, and social movements. Targeted at academic community, public administrations, and partner organizations.
• Formació (Training/Education) Educational programs including postgraduate courses on African societies, summer courses, and workshops on African cultural and development topics. Targeted at university students, researchers, and the general public.
• Publicacions (Publications) Publishing of research findings, studies, and knowledge products including reports, academic papers, and dissemination materials on African societies and migrations. Targeted at researchers, students, and the informed public.
• Divulgació (Outreach) Public dissemination activities including seminars, workshops, film festivals (FICAB), conferences, and cultural events to raise awareness about African realities. Targeted at the general public and community stakeholders.
• Cartografia de Coneixements (Knowledge Cartography) A program focused on social transformation through intercultural coexistence, conducting research in health, interculturality, and education since 2016. Targeted at community organizations, public administrations, and migrant communities.
• Joves Referents (Young Referents) Training program for LGBTQI+ migrant youth aged 18-35 to become awareness agents in diversity, interculturality, and violence prevention, in collaboration with ACATHI. Delivered through 14 training modules per edition. Targeted at young LGBTQI+ migrant and diaspora individuals.
• Joves i Àfrica (Youth and Africa) Program promoting knowledge and relationship between Catalan youth of African origin and African societies, with activities across Catalonia (Lleida, Central Catalonia, Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Maresme). Targeted at African diaspora youth aged 18-35.
• Afrotalks Dialogue space about challenges and opportunities for making popular culture in Barcelona from a migration perspective, featuring Afro-descendant artists. Co-organized with ICUB, Plataforma Cero editorial, and Centre Cívic Cotxeres de Sants. Targeted at cultural practitioners and the general public.
• Postgrau en Societats Africanes (Postgraduate in African Societies) Paid academic postgraduate course (100 hours, 10 credits, 700 EUR) offered in collaboration with Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), covering geography, history, politics, economy, society, art and culture of African societies. Targeted at university students, researchers, and professionals.
• Festival Internacional de Cinemes Africans de Barcelona (FICAB) International African Film Festival in Barcelona showcasing African cinema and diaspora perspectives. Targeted at film enthusiasts, cultural practitioners, and the general public.
• University Diploma in African Societies and Development (UPF) Paid university diploma program (130 theoretical hours + 200 practical hours, 990 EUR) co-organized with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) Facultat d'Humanitats. Targeted at university students and professionals seeking advanced training in African studies and development.
• Summer Course 'Àfrica Sudsahariana: aproximació a les seves realitats' (URV) Summer course at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) Campus Catalunya in Tarragona, providing African studies content on Sub-Saharan Africa. Fees set by URV and enrollment through URV's website. Targeted at university students and the general public.
• Membership (Fer-me soci/a) Individual membership program allowing individuals to become 'soci/a' of the association through the website, supporting the organization's operational costs and providing benefits such as a 10% discount on postgraduate programs. Targeted at individuals supporting the organization's mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ seminar registrations and ~40 average attendance per session for the anti-racism seminar series
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universitat de Barcelona (UB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2024The Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals and the University of Barcelona co-organized the seminar 'Desmuntant el racisme a Catalunya: Recorregut històric i implicacions actuals' held from February to July 2024 at the Facultat de Geografia i Història (C/ Montalegre 6, Barcelona). The seminar was free with pre-registration and offered certificates of attendance (15 hours).
• ACATHI (Col·lectiu Lambda d'Alliberament Homosexual de Catalunya)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2023ACATHI is a collaborative partner in the Joves Referents program, which trains LGBTQI+ migrant youth aged 18–35 as awareness-raising agents in diversity, interculturality, and violence prevention. The program involves 14 training modules on interculturality, identities and dissidences, awareness tools, social media, and audiovisual resources. The 2023 edition concluded in January 2024 at the Centre LGTBI de Barcelona.
• Fundació GunécoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2022CEAi collaborated with Fundació Guné on the study 'Causes de la vulneració i gaudir del dret de les noies d'origen sudsaharià a una educació de qualitat i lliure de violència', conducted through ethnographic observation in Mataró, Terrassa, and Vic over one year. The study is part of Fundació Guné's Education for Development program funded by the Agència Catalana de Cooperació.
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEAi co-organizes with the Facultat d'Humanitats of UPF the annual Postgraduate Course in African Societies (100 hours, 10 credits, 700 EUR) and the University Diploma in African Societies and Development (130 hours + 200h practice, 990 EUR). These programs have been running since at least 2011 and represent a longstanding academic partnership.
• Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEAi collaborated with URV to offer the summer course 'Àfrica Sudsahariana: aproximació a les seves realitats' at the Campus Catalunya in Tarragona, providing African studies content to a broader student audience.
• Coordinadora d'Associacions Senegaleses de Catalunya (CASC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASC collaborated with CEAi on the presentation of the study on educational access for Sub-Saharan girls. CASC's program 'Senexcel·lència' (operating since 2012) works to prevent school dropout among the Senegalese-origin community and complements CEAi's research findings.
• ICUB (Institut de Cultura de Barcelona)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerICUB supported the AFROTALKS event on Afro-Colombian culture in Barcelona, held at the Centre Cívic Cotxeres de Sants and co-organized with Plataforma Cero editorial. ICUB provides cultural program support and venue access.
• Plataforma Cero EditorialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlataforma Cero editorial co-organized the AFROTALKS event and is led by Iris Martínez (Quinny), poet and anti-racist referent in Barcelona. The partnership combines cultural activism with editorial work on Afro-descendant narratives.
• Xarxa Barcelona Antirumors (XBCNA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEAi participated in the training cycle 'Violències i Resistències' organized by the Xarxa Barcelona Antirumors of the Ajuntament de Barcelona. The first session (JEHKIPÉ ROMANÍ) addressed anti-Gypsyism and was held at Campus Rom in Barcelona.
• Institut Català de SalutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborator, indicating potential involvement in CEAi's health-related intercultural programs and research, such as workshops on mental health and spirituality for migrant youth.
• Consorci de Serveis Socials de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborator, indicating involvement in CEAi's social programs and community services oriented toward migrant populations and intercultural care.
• Casal de Joves de CatalunyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborator in CEAi's youth engagement programs, providing venue and programmatic support for activities targeting young people.
• Universitat de LleidaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborator (Universitat de Lleida logo on the collaborators page), indicating support for CEAi's research and educational programs. Historian and anthropologist Albert Roca from UdL was a speaker at the anti-racism seminar.
• Associació de Dones Marroquines a CatalunyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe workshop 'Espiritualitat i salut mental en jovent migrat' was held at the headquarters of the Associació de Dones Marroquines a Catalunya (C/ Sant Oleguer 5, Barcelona), providing venue and community partnership for the event.
• Enginyeria Sense FronteresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEAi co-organized the workshop 'Dones africanes, visibles i feministes' with Enginyeria Sense Fronteres, which received support from the Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament. The workshop addressed Black feminism and African feminisms.
• ECG (Knowledge Alliances)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEAi participates in an international project 'Knowledge Alliances for Participatory Urban and Peri-Urban Mobility with a Gender Perspective' spanning Barcelona, Ziguinchor (Senegal), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Kampala (Uganda). The project aims to increase democratic governance through 'municipal rights' focused on women's roles in participatory transport.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IEMed - European Institute of the Mediterranean: Barcelona-based institute focused on Mediterranean affairs including migration, intercultural dialogue, and Euro-African relations. Comparable research-publication-training model and Catalonia-based public funding base.
• Minority Rights Group International: International human rights organization working on minority and indigenous peoples' rights, including Afro-descendant communities globally. Comparable advocacy-research-publication model and grant-based revenue structure.
• ECRE - European Council on Refugees and Exiles: European umbrella network coordinating refugee and migration NGOs across Europe, including anti-racism policy advocacy. Overlaps with CEAi's policy work and access to EU funding streams like AMIF and Horizon Europe.
• CEAR - Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado: Larger Spain-wide refugee and migration support organization offering overlapping programming on intercultural integration, anti-racism training, and policy advocacy. Operates at materially greater scale than CEAi across Spain.
• CIDOB - Barcelona Centre for International Affairs: Barcelona-based think tank producing research on international affairs including migration, Africa, and intercultural policy. Comparable in academic-civil society bridging model and public administration funding streams, though at greater scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• SOS Racisme Catalunya: Barcelona-based anti-racism NGO that, like CEAi, runs anti-discrimination awareness programs, collaborates with public administrations in Catalonia, and engages diaspora communities. Directly comparable in mission, geography, and grant-based funding model.
• Fundació Guné: Catalan non-profit focused on Senegalese diaspora community education and women/girls' rights, with overlapping programs on educational access and interculturality. CEAi already partners with Fundació Guné, indicating close thematic alignment.
• Aliança per la Diversitat: Catalan association advocating for diversity and anti-racism policies, with overlapping programming on intercultural dialogue and serving African diaspora and migrant communities in Catalonia.

Others

• Xarxa Barcelona Antirumors (XBCNA): Ajuntament de Barcelona-coordinated anti-rumor network in which CEAi participates as a training partner. Comparable in targeting anti-rumor awareness-raising, though structured as a municipal program rather than independent association.

Emerging players

• SOAS Centre of African Studies: University-based African studies research and teaching center comparable to CEAi's postgraduate African societies program at UPF. Shares academic publishing, conference programming, and public engagement focus, though embedded in a university rather than independent association.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_ceai
• Facebookfacebook.com/ceaiPremsa
• Instagraminstagram.com/ceai_africa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-d-estudis-africans-i-interculturals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre d'Estudis Africans i Interculturals