Cameroon: Central Africa Think Tank Forum Kicks Off, Setting the Stage for Regional Change

Building on the successes of the first edition, held in September 2023, the 2nd edition of the Central Africa Think Tank Forum that runs from August 21 – 22 is under the theme: “Empowering independent voices in the Central African Region.” 

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – The second edition of the Central Africa Think Tank Forum organized by the Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation, through its mandate to catalyze Africa’s economic transformation, has opened in Yaounde, Center region of Cameroon, setting the stage for regional change.

Speaking at the opening, Dr Denis Foretia, co-chair of the Denis and Lenora Foetia Foundation and Executive Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute, expressed optimism about the forum’s potential to catalyze change in the region. He said: "The important thing is that in our region, the Central African region, we have the need to expand the civic space to ensure that we help contribute to the democratic transition in our country, but more especially to ensure that we have development that works for the people.”

“Our main goal is to figure out how we support and work with governments to ensure that we can bring and expand the development input that we get to our communities. Fundamentally, we want to ensure that our public policies first work for us as Cameroonians, as citizens of Central Africa. Our public policies work for us,” Dr Denis Foretia added.

"Secondly, we want to aid our governments and public authorities to ensure that we are more efficient, more effective in all our policies. Third, we want to make sure that our citizens benefit in very practical terms, in putting food on their table, in the amount of money that they earn every month to be able to help grow their families. So, it's an issue of how we catalyze our transformation, how we ensure that development comes in very substantive terms."

Among many other challenges that have plagued the region over the years and which continuously account for the low rates of development witnessed across the region, the ability of think tanks in Central Africa to effectively operate has been a daunting challenge that has consequently led to the short life span, fragmentation and ineffectiveness of some think tanks, research centres and advocacy groups.

Building on the successes of the first edition, which was held in Yaounde, Cameroon in September 2023, the 2nd edition of the Central Africa Think Tank Forum will run from the 21 – 22 of August 2024 under the theme: “Empowering independent voices in the Central African Region.” This will provide a platform to harness and amplify independent voices for policy change, actionable reforms and positive development of the Central African Region.

Dr Denis Foretia added: “It’s no secret that our Central Africa region is the least integrated region on the continent. And with less integration, you don't have enough, a lot of development with less integration. So, we want to ensure that we can push that. Also, the level of openness in our society to deal with our diversity is something that we need to work on. And so that's also the reason why we are coming here to ensure that we can move forward in this agenda."

“As Central Africans, we need to stop talking about the potential but move to what we are doing. Our research, and not just our research, research from other organizations in Cameroon and our partners in Central Africa shows that the way for us to move forward is accountable governance, openness, open trade, and open investments, make sure that our economies, when people are starting businesses and trying to grow their businesses, our tax laws are favourable and it's very transparent. So those are the things that we want to help promote our government, support our government to bring and put into place to ensure that our economies can transform."

The Nkafu Policy Institute through its mandate to catalyze Africa's economic transformation is committed to bringing together policymakers, donor organizations, renowned researchers, think tankers, and practitioners from all over the world in a common platform to deepen understanding and brainstorming across common challenges, enhance the potential and empower independent voices in the Central African Region.