Local Government Revenue Initiative (logri)

What Local Government Revenue Initiative (logri) does

LoGRI (Local Government Revenue Initiative) is a non-profit research and policy initiative headquartered at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, operating as an initiative of the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD). Founded approximately 2019, LoGRI supports the design and implementation of effective, equitable, and accountable property tax systems in lower-income countries, with active engagements in 18+ African nations (Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and South Asia (Pakistan, Sri Lanka). The organization engages directly with national and municipal governments through diagnostic assessments, reform advisory partnerships, and sustained technical assistance throughout reform implementation cycles.

LoGRI's core offerings span research and publications (working papers, policy briefs, guidance notes, journal articles), reform and advisory support, capacity building and training (including a Training Course launched in 2025), international conferences (Nairobi 2023, Cotonou 2025), and technical resources including diagnostic frameworks, GIS mapping methodologies, and points-based valuation approaches. Its technology stack includes proprietary points-based valuation systems that reduce dependence on expensive professional appraisals, GIS-based property identification with satellite imagery integration, Google Plus Codes digital addressing for informal urban areas, and machine learning applications for property tax roll generation demonstrated in Kananga, DRC in partnership with UC Berkeley. LoGRI does not commercialize products or services; all work is delivered through grant-funded partnerships.

The organization is funded by institutional donors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Norad, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, GIZ, and the Development Innovation Fund (FID), having secured €3 million in new funding in April 2025 to expand operations. LoGRI's team comprises roughly 11–50 staff including executive leadership (President Wilson Prichard, Executive Director Titilola Akindeinde), program and policy leadership, research leads, technical advisors, doctoral and post-doctoral fellows, and embedded field technical managers in country engagements such as Sierra Leone. Named country engagements include a threefold property tax revenue increase in Freetown, mapping of over 50,000 structures in Kenema using satellite imagery, 2,160 properties valued in Mansa, Zambia, and a collaboration with DGI-Benin targeting the country's stated 6.35% property tax potential realization.

Name

Local Government Revenue Initiative (logri)

Legal name

The Local Government Revenue Initiative (LoGRI)

Website

https://logri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LoGRI is a Toronto-based non-profit research initiative at the University of Toronto's Munk School that supports property tax reform in lower-income countries through technical assistance, diagnostic assessments, training, and publications across 18+ African and South Asian nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Development Funding and Grants: LoGRI is funded primarily through grants and development cooperation funding from institutional donors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the French Ministry of Finance, and GIZ. They received €3 million in new funding to expand operations (announced April 2025).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LoGRI delivers research, technical advisory, and capacity-building services to governments in lower-income countries to strengthen property tax systems. Its portfolio includes diagnostic assessments, reform design and implementation support, training for tax officials, applied research publications, and convening of conferences and workshops. Work is funded through institutional grants and delivered as non-commercial engagement with government counterparts and development partners.

Product overview

LoGRI (Local Government Revenue Initiative) is a research and policy initiative based at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, focused on strengthening property tax systems in lower-income countries. Rather than a traditional software product, LoGRI offers a portfolio of advisory services, research outputs, and capacity building programs. The core offerings include: diagnostic assessments and reform advisory support to help governments optimize property tax performance; a comprehensive publications suite comprising working papers, policy briefs, guidance notes, and journal articles; training and capacity building programs including the LoGRI Training Course launched in 2025; international conferences and workshops (such as the Nairobi Conference 2023 and Cotonou Conference 2025); and practical technical resources including GIS mapping methodologies and points-based valuation approaches. The initiative works across Africa and South Asia supporting local governments with evidence-based reform strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reform and Advisory Support
• Research and Publications
• Capacity Building and Training
• International Conferences and Workshops
• Learning Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• Threefold surge in revenue collection following property tax reform in Freetown, Sierra Leone
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICTD is the parent organization of LoGRI. Professor Wilson Prichard serves as both ICTD's Executive Director and LoGRI's President. ICTD provides institutional framework, research infrastructure, and connection to broader tax and development research networks.
• Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLoGRI is based at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto. This provides institutional hosting, academic linkages, and access to graduate student researchers. Professor Wilson Prichard holds a faculty appointment as Associate Professor.
• Urban Revenue Reform Project Office, Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure (Ethiopia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for Ethiopia Property Tax System Review. This government body oversees property tax reform initiatives and is working with LoGRI to assess and reactivate the national Computerized Property Tax Administration system.
• Tax Policy Department, Ministry of Finance (Ethiopia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment counterpart for Ethiopia Property Tax System Review, providing policy guidance and inter-ministerial coordination for property tax reform assessment.
• United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency providing technical support and regional coordination for LoGRI's Ethiopia property tax system review, particularly regarding continental standards and African Union frameworks.
• University of Toronto (FIPP Office)supportingOthersUniversity of Toronto's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) office provides data protection governance framework for LoGRI's privacy practices.
• University of California - BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey research partner for property tax reform in Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo. UC Berkeley team leads drone imagery and machine learning approaches while LoGRI provides technical guidance and resources for IT system selection and reform strategy.
• African Centre for Tax and Governance (ACTG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNigerian research and advocacy organization that partnered with LoGRI on diagnostic assessment of three Nigerian states (Kaduna, Ekiti, Niger). ACTG co-hosted stakeholder engagement conference in Abuja to disseminate findings.
• Nigeria Governors' ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for LoGRI's property tax reform work in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The Forum provides political coordination and links to state governors for reform engagement.
• Directorate General of Taxation (DGI-Benin)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBenin's central government tax authority is the primary counterpart for LoGRI's collaborative initiative on property tax reform. DGI-Benin leads reform of the Single Property Tax (TFU) with LoGRI providing technical support and research-informed advisory.
• African School of Economics (ASE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 2025 LoGRI Conference in Cotonou, Benin. ASE provides regional expertise, academic linkages, and conference hosting infrastructure for LoGRI's biennial conference series.
• Addis Tax Initiative (ATI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop series co-organized with ATI covering four virtual workshops on policy design for effective property taxation, with factsheets and materials available in English, French, and Spanish.
• African Mayoral Leadership InitiativesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew partnership announced March 2026 to advance mayoral leadership in local revenue mobilization and property tax reform across African cities.
• Kanifing Municipal Council (The Gambia)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrimary counterpart for diagnostic assessment project in Kanifing. LoGRI supports matching GIS maps with Google Plus address codes and conducting property valuation for 1,000 properties.
• Provincial Minister of Finance, Kasaï Central (DRC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGovernment counterpart that enlisted LoGRI and UC Berkeley for comprehensive city-wide property tax reform in Kananga, including adoption of new IT system and points-based valuation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) / local think tanks in target countries: National and regional policy think tanks in LoGRI's target geographies (e.g., African School of Economics, ACTG Nigeria) that operate as in-country research and advocacy partners on tax reform and governance, with comparable missions and overlapping collaborators.

Broad incumbents

• Overseas Development Institute (ODI): Major UK-based development think tank publishing research and policy advice on global development, including taxation and domestic resource mobilization. LoGRI researchers have co-published with ODI on Sierra Leone property tax reform.
• German Development Institute (DIE): Think tank providing policy advice on global development and international cooperation, including taxation and domestic resource mobilization. Comparable research-and-advisory model and overlaps with LoGRI's donor ecosystem (GIZ is a key LoGRI funder).
• World Bank / IMF Tax Policy and Administration Programs: Multilateral institutions with major programs on tax policy reform, domestic resource mobilization, and capacity building in developing countries. LoGRI participates in World Bank conferences and operates in the same space, though at a much smaller scale and as a specialist.
• Addis Tax Initiative (ATI): A multi-stakeholder initiative of donor governments and partner countries focused on domestic resource mobilization. LoGRI co-organizes workshop series with ATI, and both operate in the same tax-reform advisory space across Africa.
• African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF): Continental body of African tax authorities providing capacity building, research, and peer learning on tax administration. Operates across the same African jurisdictions as LoGRI and addresses overlapping tax policy and administration challenges.

Direct peers

• International Growth Centre (IGC): Research initiative providing evidence-based advice on growth and development in low-income countries, with similar funding model (UK FDIs, foundations) and country engagement model. Overlaps with LoGRI on subnational governance and revenue mobilization.
• African Tax Institute (University of Pretoria): Academic research and capacity-building institute focusing on tax policy and administration in Africa. Comparable to LoGRI in mission, geographic focus, and academic anchoring, with shared contributors (e.g., Astrid Hass is an Extraordinary Professor there).
• International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD): ICTD is LoGRI's parent organization, led by the same President (Wilson Prichard). It conducts research on tax and development in lower-income countries, directly overlapping LoGRI's mission and target audience.

Emerging players

• Tax Justice Network: International advocacy and research organization focused on tax fairness, transparency, and reform. Operates in the same broader tax-policy ecosystem as LoGRI, with overlapping donor and stakeholder networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LoGRITax
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LoGRITax
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/logritax

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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Frequently asked questions about Local Government Revenue Initiative (logri)