Role of African Economic Research Consortium in Economic Policy Research

The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) is a non-profit organization which was established in 1988 and it is inclined towards advancement of quality research and training to inform on the economic policies in the Sub Saharan Africa.

The AERC is one of the most active Research and Capacity Building Institutions (RCBIs) in the world, with its focus on Africa.

Its main objective is to:

• strengthen local capacity for conducting independent rigorous inquiry into the problems faced by the Sub-Saharan economies in Africa
• Enhance the capacity of locally based researchers to contact policy-relevant economy inquiry, promote the retention of such capacity, and encourage its application in the policy context.

AERC rests on two premises:

• That development is more likely to occur where there’s sustained sound management of the economy.
• That management likely happens where there’s an active, well-formed cadre of locally-based professional economists to conduct policy relevant research

AERC builds a cadre through a program with three primary components: research, training and policy outreach.

The organization has emerged as a premier capacity building network institution which integrates:

• high quality economic policy research
• postgraduate training
• policy outreach within a vast network of researchers

All the above capacities are done within a vast of researchers, universities and policy makers beyond and across Africa.

Through its quality products and services, AERC has increasingly received global acclaim and has been ranked and accredited a global development think tank.

Related: Industrialization is a Necessity for the Survival and Development of Africa

Written by Amina Martha.