African Center for Aquatic Research and Education

What African Center for Aquatic Research and Education does

The African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE) is a US-incorporated non-profit organization, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that operates as a collaborative research and capacity-building center for the African Great Lakes. Founded around 2017, ACARE convenes freshwater experts from ten riparian countries (Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia) across seven lakes (Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa, Tanganyika, Turkana, Victoria). Its work addresses fragmented, short-term, and underfunded research on transboundary freshwater systems supporting over 50 million people for food, drinking water, and employment.

ACARE's portfolio is structured as programs and networks rather than commercial products. The core offerings are six Advisory Groups (one per lake, with the Edward and Albert groups merged), governed by the Council of Advisory Groups for regional coordination; the African Women in Science (AWIS) program, an 11-month cohort-based capacity-building, mentorship, and international immersion experience for 18 early-career women scientists per cohort; the AWIS Mentorship Portal; and informational resources including the African Great Lakes Information Hub, the Freshwater Expert Directory (in development), and ACARE Publications. The organization's underlying technology is a collaborative research network and convening platform rather than a software product; it does not expose APIs, SDKs, or MCP integrations, and does not sell or license technology.

Revenue is generated solely through donations and partnership contributions. ACARE accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations in the US and Canada, and operates joint programs with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) under the IISD-ACARE brand. Go-to-market is direct program delivery to scientists, researchers, and institutions across Africa, supplemented by digital marketing (website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X) and conference participation (notably the International Association of Great Lakes Research). There is no pricing model, no enterprise sales motion, and no commercial customer base.

Name

African Center for Aquatic Research and Education

Legal name

African Center for Aquatic Research and Education

Website

https://agl-acare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACARE is a US-based non-profit that convenes freshwater scientists across ten African countries to coordinate research, policy, and capacity-building for the seven African Great Lakes, operating the AWIS program and six lake advisory groups in partnership with IISD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freshwater Environmental Research and Capacity Building

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK), Data Management, LIMS & Compliance Software (ELN, eDMS, reporting automation) (EUANAJAE), Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Freshwater science research
• Aquatic research and education
• Capacity building programs
• Gender equity in science
• Lake advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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: ACARE operates as a non-profit organization relying on donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses to fund its programs including the African Women in Science initiative. The organization accepts tax-deductible donations from the United States and Canada.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACARE coordinates freshwater science research, education, and capacity-building across the African Great Lakes region. It delivers programs and resources such as the African Women in Science (AWIS) program, the Council of Advisory Groups, the African Great Lakes Information Hub, the Freshwater Expert Directory, and collaborative research projects (e.g., FRESH-WQ), aimed at researchers, policymakers, and institutions working on African freshwater ecosystems.

Product overview

The African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE) is a research coordination and capacity-building organization, not a traditional technology product company. ACARE's portfolio consists of programs, networks, and resources focused on strengthening science, policy, and management of the African Great Lakes. The core offerings include the African Women in Science (AWIS) program, which provides an eleven-month capacity-building experience with mentorship and international immersion; the AWIS Mentorship Portal as a structured six-month mentorship component; six Advisory Groups organized by lake (Lake Edward Albert, Lake Kivu, Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, Lake Victoria) representing experts from riparian countries; the Council of Advisory Groups for regional coordination; and informational resources including the African Great Lakes Hub, Freshwater Expert Directory, and ACARE Publications. The organization partners with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and IISD's Experimental Lakes Area to deliver programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• African Women in Science (AWIS): A program that builds capacity for women in freshwater science through professional development, mentorship, and international exposure for early-career African women scientists working on African Great Lakes research.

Products and services

• African Women in Science (AWIS) Program A cohort-based capacity-building and gender-equity program for early-career African women freshwater scientists, providing mentorship, professional development, project support, and an alumnae network across countries of the African Great Lakes region.
• AWIS Mentorship Portal Online portal supporting mentorship pairings, resources, and project collaboration for AWIS mentees, mentors, and alumnae.
• Council of Advisory Groups for the African Great Lakes A coordinating body comprising national and lake-specific advisory groups that synthesize regional freshwater research and translate it into policy and management guidance for the African Great Lakes.
• African Great Lakes Information Hub An online knowledge and resource hub centralizing publications, data, and reference materials on the freshwater ecosystems of the African Great Lakes for researchers, policymakers, and the public.
• Freshwater Expert Directory A searchable directory of freshwater science experts in and connected to the African Great Lakes region, supporting collaboration, consultation, and partnership matchmaking.
• FRESH-WQ Collaborative Research Project A collaborative research initiative with KMFRI and King's College London applying water quality sensors and analytical methods to monitor freshwater conditions in the African Great Lakes region.
• ACARE Publications Publications and reports produced by ACARE on freshwater science and policy topics relevant to the African Great Lakes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 18 scientists per cohort through the AWIS program
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2020Major strategic partnership announced September 2020 combining IISD's Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) and policy expertise with ACARE's African network of large-lakes experts. The partnership aims to strengthen global and regional research partnerships, facilitate existing and create new transboundary lake advisory groups, and strengthen capacity of freshwater scientists through experiential education.
• Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in the FRESH-WQ project deploying water quality sensors at aquaculture sites in Lake Victoria. KMFRI works with ACARE on research and capacity building initiatives for African Great Lakes.
• King's College LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration partner in FRESH-WQ project for deploying pilot water quality sensors and developing low-cost sensors combined with satellite observations and AI for water quality monitoring.
• Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's only freshwater laboratory where scientists manipulate real lakes to understand human impact on fresh water. IISD-ELA brings over 50 years of freshwater research experience and provides training opportunities for AWIS participants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): IISD is ACARE's core strategic partner and co-delivers the AWIS program; both organizations focus on freshwater science, policy translation, and transboundary water governance, making IISD the most directly comparable peer.
• Alliance for the Great Lakes: Alliance for the Great Lakes is a binational nonprofit dedicated to freshwater science, policy, and education for the North American Great Lakes, closely mirroring ACARE's mission, programs, and stakeholder model (and led operationally by ACARE's Strategic Advisor for 17 years).
• International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR): IAGLR is the premier scientific association advancing Great Lakes research; ACARE's AWIS participants present at IAGLR conferences, and the organizations share the same freshwater-science community and convening function.
• Wetlands International: Wetlands International focuses on the conservation and wise use of wetlands and freshwater ecosystems globally, with significant Africa presence, making it directly comparable to ACARE's lake ecosystem mandate.
• Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI): SIWI is an independent water policy and capacity-building institute that convenes stakeholders, applies research to policy, and runs international programs analogous to ACARE's convening and AWIS-style capacity work.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is a large global environmental nonprofit with active freshwater and Great Lakes programs, offering overlapping conservation and capacity-building capabilities as part of a much wider portfolio.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF operates major freshwater and African great-lakes conservation programs; it competes for the same donor pool and policy influence as ACARE on transboundary water issues.
• Conservation International: Conservation International runs large-scale freshwater and biodiversity programs across Africa, addressing similar donors, geographies, and capacity-building needs as ACARE.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): WRI is a global research organization working on water resources, ecosystems, and environmental data, overlapping with ACARE's freshwater science and policy translation mission at a much larger scale.

Regional players

• African Wildlife Foundation: African Wildlife Foundation is a pan-African conservation nonprofit with overlapping geographies across the Great Lakes region, comparable in scope, regional focus, and donor constituency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/agl_acare
• Facebookfacebook.com/AGL.ACARE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-center-for-aquatic-research-and-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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