Background:
The Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) is an independent non-profit research organization established in April 2008 by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-lweala, former Managing Director, World Bank, and also Nigeria’s past Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance. CSEA was borne out of the need to bridge the gap caused by the paucity of rigorous empirical research that affects the quality of policies implemented in the African countries. The Centre’s location in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, also provides close proximity to government agencies.
CSEA serves as a forum for quality research analyses, and policy dialogue by stakeholders from the private sector, government, national assembly, and civil society. The policy-oriented research carried out by the Centre, including the articulation of policy choices, tradeoffs and implications, is put forward to the general public and decision-makers to stimulate rigorous debates on the effects of government policies on economic growth and development in Nigeria and Africa.
CSEA is poised to assist in disseminating best practices to enable African governments improve their public financial management systems. The Centre carries out applied research and presents policy options to enhance macroeconomic stability, fiscal transparency and accountability Similarly, CSEA advocates for greater fiscal transparency and accountability, reduction in leakages of public funds and improvements in governments’ delivery of social and public services.
In addition, CSEA engages in capacity building with the goal of fostering rapid economic growth and alleviating poverty on the African continent.
Funding:
CSEA is a non-profit think tank that conducts independent, high quality applied research on economic policy issues in Nigeria and the rest of Africa. CSEA’s activities are largely financed by grants from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, under the TTI (Think Tank Initiative). The Initiative is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of independent policy research institutions in the developing world. It was launched in 2008 and currently provides 43 think tanks in 20 countries with a core, non-earmarked funding. CSEA is presently a beneficiary of Phase 2 of the TTI Institutional Grant of CAD 702,682 for the period: 2014-2019. The Centre also benefits from Research grants/Project funding from other Institutions.