Two Kenyan Think Tanks Ranked Top Transparent Institutions in Africa

African Economic Research Consortium Kenya and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Kenya) have been ranked among Africa’s top six highly transparent think tanks by Transparify’s 2016 think tank transparency report.

African Economic Research Consortium Kenya and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Kenya) are position 3 and 4 respectively with Ethiopia, Ghana being ranked first and second.

The report states, “The existence of highly transparent think tanks in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa clearly demonstrate that other African institutions can also excel in transparency if they choose to.”

Corruption Watch South Africa and South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) complete the top tier of highly transparent institutions.

Read: Kenya Loses 50 percent of its Budget to Corruption – PKF East Africa

Center for Policy Analysis Ghana, IMANI Center for Policy and Education Ghana, Centre for Democratic Development from Ghana and Centre for the Study of Economies of Africa (CSEA) from Nigeria are ranked as highly opaque.

“The three highly opaque think tanks in Ghana will now find it difficult to argue that there is something unique about their country that prevents them from disclosing who funds them, and think tanks in Nigeria may want to reflect on why they cannot meet the high standards set by some of their peers in other large African states,” according to the report findings.

The report details the levels of financial disclosure of 200 think tanks located in 47 countries worldwide.

“Our researchers have documented highly transparent think tanks in 23 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe,” said Dr Hans Gutbrod, The Executive Director of Transparify. “Top transparency performers can be found in places as far apart as Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and the Ukraine. Clearly, transparency is a feasible option in a huge variety of political, economic and social contexts. Excellence knows no borders, and that includes excellence in financial disclosure.”

Transparify’s researchers found that only 102 of the think tanks assessed remain opaque, down from 144 four years ago. “The number of organizations who still consider it acceptable to take money from hidden hands behind closed doors is rapidly dwindling. They are running out of excuses,” said Dr Gutbrod.

“More and more think tanks are discovering that transparency can bring huge benefits in terms of signalling commitment to intellectual independence, integrity, excellence in research, and the credibility that comes from adhering to democratic norms while participating in democratic debates.”

Key metrics used in the report include: