Independent African economic ideas, grounded in knowledge pluralism and ecosystem building
Welcome to The Institute for Pan-African Policy!
IKAYA INSTITUTE FOR PAN-AFRICAN POLICY
The Ikaya Institute for Pan-African Policy (IKAYA) is a Pan-African think tank dedicated to advancing Africa’s economic self-determination. IKAYA exists to challenge dependency-driven development paradigms and to design African-rooted economic alternatives that place sovereignty, dignity, and collective prosperity at the center of policy-making.
VISION
An economically sovereign Africa that controls its development narrative, resources, and future through Pan-African solidarity and indigenous knowledge systems.
MISSION
To advance Africa’s economic self-determination by producing cutting-edge research, policy alternatives, and strategic foresight that center African agency in global economic governance.
VALUES
IKAYA is guided by African Agency, Economic Sovereignty, Pan-African Solidarity, and Decolonial Knowledge. Across all our work, we integrate feminist economics, recognizing that inclusive, gender-responsive policies are essential for sustainable growth and social justice.
Despite political independence, Africa remains economically constrained by external policy prescriptions, unsustainable debt, illicit financial outflows, and extractive trade models that limit value addition. At the same time, the continent faces a historic opportunity: the rise of BRICS+, the implementation of the AfCFTA, growing Global South solidarity, climate finance leverage, digital transformation, and Africa’s central role in the global energy transition.
IKAYA fills a critical gap by moving beyond critique. While many institutions focus on implementing externally designed models, IKAYA develops African-originated economic frameworks that respond to Africa’s realities and ambitions. We work at the intersection of heterodox economics, decolonial theory, and practical policy-making—turning Pan-African ideas into actionable strategies.
Ikaya`s Strategic Focus
The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. Africa needs its own economic tools for its own liberation.”
Adapted from Audre Lorde
Our Commitment
IKAYA bridges research and policy to ensure African-led evidence, advocacy, and imagination shape Africa’s economic future. We do not simply ask what is possible within existing systems—we work to design new ones. Rooted in Pan-Africanism and driven by justice, IKAYA stands for an Africa that is not just included in the global economy, but actively shaping it on its own terms.