African Economic Research Consortium

What African Economic Research Consortium does

The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is a Nairobi-headquartered, non-profit capacity-building institution founded in 1988 that integrates three interlocking activities — economic policy research, postgraduate training, and policy outreach — within a pan-African network spanning at least 15 sub-Saharan African countries. Its core products include the Collaborative Masters Programme (CMAP, 1992), Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP, 2002, 8 partner universities), Collaborative Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics (CMAAE, 2005), a PhD/Master's Bridge Programme for fragile states (2017), and flagship convenings including the annual Senior Policy Seminar (since 1996), Regional Policy Forums, National Policy Workshops, and Biannual Research Workshops. AERC also operates open-access digital infrastructure: a publications repository (publication.aercafricalibrary.org), e-Library, Research Management System, Learning Management System, and a training and capacity development portal. The technology stack is described as standard web-based platforms with no proprietary AI/ML or hardware IP.\n\nAERC is governed by a Board comprising institutional directors from donor organisations and directors-at-large, and is anchored institutionally by the Central Bank Governors' Forum (established 2014, now comprising 12 central banks: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, and Burundi). Its customer and beneficiary base comprises three primary segments: central banks and financial regulators, ministries of finance and planning, and university faculty and graduate students in economics. AERC's training alumni serve as economists, researchers, and policy analysts in central banks, ministries, and universities across sub-Saharan Africa. The organisation is led by Executive Director Prof. Victor Murinde (ex-SOAS, ex-AfDB) and Interim Executive Director / Director of Research Dr. Abbi M. Kedir (ex-University of Sheffield).\n\nAERC's business model is grant-funded, non-revenue-generating at point of service: it charges no fees to participants and is supported by a diversified pool of bilateral aid agencies (SIDA, NORAD, FCDO, DAAD), multilateral development banks (World Bank, AfDB, Afreximbank, TDB), private foundations (Gates, Hewlett), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and African institutional partners including the Government of Kenya. Its go-to-market is event-driven and community-led — convening researchers, policymakers, and central bank officials through flagship forums that double as the primary channels for recruiting researchers, sustaining alumni relationships, and influencing policy. Distribution is direct via the university and central bank networks, with no commercial channel structure.

Name

African Economic Research Consortium

Legal name

African Economic Research Consortium

Website

https://aercafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AERC is a Nairobi-based non-profit consortium founded in 1988 that builds sub-Saharan Africa's economic policy capacity through collaborative postgraduate training, applied research, and convening central bank governors, finance ministries, and university economists across the continent.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Research and Policy Capacity Building

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Management Consulting Services (54161), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Economic policy research
• Postgraduate economics training
• Policy capacity building
• Development economics research
• Research consortium services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donor Support: AERC is a donor-funded consortium. It was established by convincing one donor to support the initial idea, then a small group of donors. The group of donor agencies grew into the actual Consortium. Current funders include bilateral aid agencies, multilateral development banks, private foundations, and African institutional partners who contribute to core operational and programmatic funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AERC is a pan-African capacity-building consortium that integrates economic policy research, postgraduate training, and policy outreach within a network of researchers, universities, and policymakers across sub-Saharan Africa. It produces rigorous, policy-relevant economic research through thematic and collaborative projects; delivers collaborative master's, PhD, and bridge training programmes in economics and agricultural economics; and convenes flagship policy engagement platforms (Senior Policy Seminars, Regional Policy Forums, National Policy Workshops) that link researchers directly with central bank governors, finance ministries, and other senior policymakers.

Product overview

African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is a capacity building institution that integrates three primary components: research, training, and policy outreach. The research programme encompasses thematic and collaborative research, workshops, proposal writing, and attachment programs. The training arm includes collaborative master's and PhD programmes in economics and agricultural economics, a bridge programme for students from fragile states, and a summer master class. The policy engagement component features Senior Policy Seminars, Regional Policy Forums, and National Policy Workshops. AERC also operates digital platforms including a Publication Repository, E-Library, Research Management System, Learning Management System, and Research and Capacity Development Portal to support its network of researchers, universities, and policymakers across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collaborative Masters Programme (CMAP): A collaborative master's programme in Economics producing high-quality graduates, researchers, and policy analysts.
• Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP)
• Collaborative Master in Agricultural and Applied Economics (CMAAE)
• Senior Policy Seminar (SPS)
• Regional Policy Forums
• National Policy Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• AERC alumni serve in central banks, ministries of finance, economic departments of universities, and policy research institutes across sub-Saharan Africa
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key collaborator, flagship co-host, flagship and collaborator.

• African Development Bank (AfDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC organised three side events at the AfDB Annual Meetings 2026 in Brazzaville on themes including African hydrocarbon exporters and economic diversification, V20 liquidity support, and China-Africa economic relations. AfDB provides funding and institutional collaboration for AERC's policy engagement activities.
• Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Financial Architecture (IFA)key collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC collaborated with the Task Force on Climate, Development and the International Financial Architecture (IFA) to convene two high-level dialogues at the AfDB Annual Meetings 2026 on African economic diversification and climate finance.
• Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF)key collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC collaborated with the CVF on the 'LIFELINE: A V20 Initiative for Liquidity Support' dialogue at the AfDB Annual Meetings 2026, focusing on climate shocks and liquidity finance for African economies.
• Boston University Global Development Policy Centerkey collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC and Boston University GDP Center co-published the 2026 China-Africa Economic Bulletin revealing China-Africa engagement data, and co-convened a panel on China-Africa economic relations at the AfDB Annual Meetings 2026 (194 participants).
• World Food Programme (WFP), UNHCR, UN-OCHA, UNICEFflagship co-hostStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour UN agencies — WFP, UNHCR, UN-OCHA, and UNICEF — co-host the fourth Global Impact Evaluation Forum 2026 in Geneva (15–17 September) with support from Norway and Switzerland. AERC is a participant and contributor to this forum.
• AIR (American Institutes for Research)key collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC and AIR convened the Competitive Impact Evaluation Retooling Workshop in July 2026 to strengthen evidence-based policymaking across Africa, bringing together teaching faculty and early career researchers.
• Southern Voice and Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of SussexflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC, Southern Voice, and IDS-Sussex won a British Academy Grant to strengthen global research resilience. This is a tri-institutional consortium combining three global think tank networks for joint research and policy impact.
• Central Bank Governors' Forum Members (12 Central Banks)coreOthersAERC established the Central Bank Governors' Forum in 2014 to ensure African stakeholdership. Currently 12 Central Banks participate: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, and Burundi.
• UN-WIDERkey collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC maintains a collaborative relationship with UN-WIDER (Helsinki), including through the shared network of academics and researchers. Prof. Finn Tarp (UN-WIDER former Director) is an AERC Fellow and resource person.
• Brookings Institutionkey collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeveral AERC Fellows and Board members have affiliations with the Brookings Institution. Prof. Ernest Aryeetey was Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings. Prof. Ahmadou Aly Mbaye is a Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at Brookings.
• Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE), University of Oxfordkey collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAERC partners with CSAE for the annual CSAE Conference on Economic Development in Africa (March 2026, November 2026). CSAE is a listed institutional partner on the AERC Board page.
• Economic Research Forum (ERF)collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Economic Research Forum is listed as an institutional partner of AERC, representing a network of MENA-region economists that complements AERC's sub-Saharan focus.
• SOAS University of LondoncollaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOAS University of London is listed as a partner of AERC. Prof. Victor Murinde joined AERC from SOAS where he served as AXA Professor of Global Finance. Prof. Hong Bo is Professor of Financial Economics at SOAS and an AERC Fellow.
• African Studies Centre Leiden UniversitycollaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican Studies Centre Leiden University is listed as a current institutional partner of AERC, contributing to research collaboration and academic exchange.
• AKADEMIYA263collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAKADEMIYA263 is listed as an institutional partner of AERC, working in the area of agricultural economics and food policy research.
• Secretariat Knowledge Platform on Development Policies (INCLUDE)collaboratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINCLUDE (Knowledge Platform on Development Policies) is listed as an institutional partner of AERC, supporting knowledge sharing and policy dialogue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI): A CGIAR-affiliated policy research institute that overlaps with AERC's CMAAE agricultural economics agenda. It is an emerging-peer match because IFPRI focuses on food policy rather than the broader economics training and convening role AERC plays.

Direct peers

• AKADEMIYA263: A listed AERC institutional partner specializing in agricultural economics and food policy research in Africa. AKADEMIYA263 is a direct peer because it operates the same combination of policy research, training, and convening that AERC pioneered — including shared CMAAE alumni.
• Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex: IDS is a co-recipient with AERC of a British Academy grant via the Southern Voice tri-institutional consortium. IDS is a direct peer given overlapping work on development research, training, and global think-tank network building.
• Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE), University of Oxford: AERC's listed institutional partner for the annual CSAE Conference on Economic Development in Africa. CSAE runs a parallel annual economics conference, PhD-job-market pipeline, and African development research agenda that closely mirrors AERC's academic convening role.
• Southern Voice: A global network of think tanks from the Global South that is a co-partner with AERC and IDS-Sussex on the British Academy grant. Southern Voice is a direct peer in building cross-country development research networks and convening platforms.
• Economic Research Forum (ERF): A regional economic research network — like AERC for MENA — that produces working papers, trains economists, and convenes policymakers. It is a direct peer because AERC and ERF are co-listed institutional partners operating parallel research-and-training models on different sides of Africa.
• African Economic Research Consortium / UN-WIDER Partnership: UN-WIDER is a long-standing AERC partner that runs overlapping research and training programmes for development economists, including shared Fellows (e.g., Prof. Finn Tarp). It is the closest international comparator to AERC's research, training, and convening model.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution — Africa Growth Initiative: Brookings' Africa Growth Initiative (founded by AERC Fellow Prof. Ernest Aryeetey) runs pan-African economic policy research and convening with several AERC Fellows and Board members. It is a broader-incumbent peer offering overlapping but wider policy-research capabilities.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): A globally established development think tank with comparable work on economic policy, donor-funded research, and convening in developing countries. ODI is a broad incumbent — same space, but with a much wider thematic and geographic remit than AERC.

Others

• Secretariat Knowledge Platform on Development Policies (INCLUDE): A listed AERC institutional partner focused on inclusive development policies in Africa. INCLUDE is a thematic/adjacent peer — its research-and-dialogue model overlaps with AERC's National Policy Workshops but it does not run parallel postgraduate training.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZE2Ksa3jHEVmdyYEN_jF3g
• Xx.com/AERCAFRICA
• Facebookfacebook.com/aercafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aercafrica

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 African Economic Research Consortium