A Pan-African Centre of Excellence

The AfriCatalyst Institute for Sustainable Development (ACISD) is a Pan-African centre of excellence, headquartered in Dakar, and operating across Africa and beyond. It is dedicated to equipping the next generation of African policymakers and development leaders with the knowledge, tools, and networks to define and implement context-fit solutions for the continent's most pressing challenges.

Supported by the Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF), the Institute brings together executive training, applied research, and peer learning — placing sustainability, climate governance, and economic transformation at the centre of its work.

Led by Samba Mbaye, a Senegalese economist with nearly 15 years of experience across public finance reform, macroeconomic management, debt restructuring, and private sector development, ACISD is built to turn African ambition into measurable outcomes.

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THE PROBLEM WE SOLVE

Africa's development faces two interconnected gaps

Policies That Don't Fit African Realities

Development strategies shaped by external frameworks, imported models, and institutional pressures that ignore the political, social, and economic context of African nations — leading consistently to poor policy outcomes and failed reform.

Leaders Lacking Economic Acumen

Capacity constraints, limited tailored training, and a field of development economics that has not kept pace with Africa's needs leaves many public sector leaders unable to navigate deep-seated structural challenges and seize the continent's economic opportunities.

ACISD exists to close both gaps, simultaneously and in an integrated way.

WHAT SETS US APART

Built for Africa. Led by Africa.

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Context at the Core

Every programme explicitly accounts for Africa's political economy, institutional realities, and on-the-ground constraints. No imported frameworks. No generic curricula. Real African context, every time.

Research-Driven Training

Capacity building grounded in original policy research, not off the-shelf curricula.

Peer-Learning as Method

African countries share decades of policy experience, we structure that knowledge into actionable learning, drawing on real country cases rather than theory alone.

African led & Pan-African

Led by African economists and practitioners, and backed by a broad network of institutional partners across the continent and beyond.

Our Programmes (Launching Spring 2025)

Integrated model, where each element is reinforcing the others.

Apply - Inaugural Cohort

Flagship · Supported by QCF

Core Economic Training for African Leaders

Foundational and advanced economic competencies for government officials, with emphasis on policy design and implementation in African contexts. The cornerstone of ACISD's offering.

Executive Education

Leadership Training for African Ministers

Executive-level content benchmarked against top international business schools — with a mentorship component drawing on former African ministers and senior officials.

Practical Courses

"How-To" Courses on Underserved Topics

Standalone courses filling critical gaps: "How to Negotiate an IMF Programme," "How to Sell Carbon Credits," "How to Structure a PPP Contract." Each integrates peer learning.

Rapid Response

On-Demand Peer-Learning Sessions

Rapid-response seminars convening practitioners from multiple countries around a specific reform challenge — debt restructuring, food sovereignty, SOE reform, and more.

Research Programme

African Success Series

Documenting successful government policies sector by sector, reform by reform — converting lessons into case studies, seminars, and peer-learning courses policymakers can act on.

Research & Training

Integrated Research & Training on Topical Issues

Evidence-based research combined with training delivery on the continent's most pressing issues: climate adaptation, development finance, industrial policy, and macroeconomic management.

OUR AMBITION

1,000+ Leaders Trained in Five Years

Over its first five years, ACISD will train more than 1,000 public and private sector leaders, build research partnerships on sustainability and governance, and develop a peer learning network connecting reform leaders across all 54 African nations.

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NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Join the Inaugural Cohort

ACISD is launching its first cohort of the Core Economic Training Programme for African public sector leaders. Applications and nominations are now open for this landmark programme.

Apply or Nominate A Candidate

PROGRAMME DETAILS – INAUGURAL COHORT

PROGRAMME

Core Economic Training Programme

TARGET

Mid-career government officials and emerging policy leaders across Africa

FORMAT

In-person, Dakar Hybrid options available

LAUNCHING

Spring 2025

SUPPORTED BY

Quadrature Climate Foundation (QCF)

APPLY OR NOMINATE

bpouye@africatalyst.com

APPLY