We work together because we share a commitment to promoting good governance and African solutions to African problems. We believe that each of us has knowledge and expertise that become even more powerful when brought together. While we may differ over substance at times, we share the same values and pledge to uphold and promote the following principles:
- Transparency and accountability: Just as we support greater transparency within governmental practices, we also value accountability in all African Policy Circle activities.
- Mutual respect and equality: Regardless of the length of tenure or breadth of expertise, each member makes a contribution that is valued and weighed equally.
- Innovation: The pressing needs of the continent require us to be thought entrepreneurs who develop innovative and effective approaches to development and governance issues.
- Professionalism: The African Policy Circle must maintain and advance its position as a credible and serious actor in the continental and international development discourses.
- Effectiveness: Our efforts and outputs must add value to global and regional debates.
- Advocacy: We value both promoting development initiatives to key policymakers and raising awareness within our respective communities.
- Diversity: We value the diversity of our membership, in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and age, among others. We believe a multiplicity of opinions is constructive in the knowledge production process.
- Integrity: We acknowledge that our sustainability as a group depends on maintaining our standing as knowledge producers who add value and help policymakers address complex problems.
Our Vision
The African Policy Circle gathers thought leaders from across the continent to learn from each other’s rich experiences and allow for the cross-pollination of ideas. To accomplish this, we have two main aims. First, we will continue our efforts to build an innovative and effective network of committed civil society organizations and think tanks. We believe it is important to continue to expand our membership base in order to democratize the development discourse and to further increase the legitimacy and relevance of recommendations. We also seek to build the organizational and human capacity of our members in order to raise the profile of African civil society organizations and think tanks to enable us to more effectively address critical issues. Furthermore, as our network gets stronger and matures, we will devise and build our governance and financing models to put us on firm footing for the future.
Second, we will expand our thematic focus while digging deeper into what we believe are the most pressing issues for Africa’s future: peace and security, good governance, accountability and corruption. We will be proactive about identifying critical issues and linking them to Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Moreover, we will hold regular dialogues with other actors and sectors outside the African Policy Circle to draw lessons and strengthen our analysis and recommendations. We will identify policy champions at the regional and continental levels to not only deliver our recommendations, but also assist them with follow-up and implementation.
The African Policy Circle provides an opportunity for think tanks and civil society organizations to actively participate as development partners – not just as monitors and critics. Ultimately, we aim to both enrich and drive policy discourse within Africa.
