By Ajong Mbapndah L*
The Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank under the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation, is set to host the 2025 edition of the Think Tank Week from August 4–8 in Cameroon’s political capital, Yaoundé. This landmark event brings together a diverse array of policymakers, civil society leaders, researchers, and development actors across Central Africa to foster collaborative leadership and tackle the region’s most pressing policy challenges.
Speaking to Pan African Visions ahead of the event, Dr Denis Foretia, Co-Chair of the Foretia Foundation, explained that this year’s Think Tank Week represents a strategic evolution in building the foundations of policy reform across generations.
“Rather than viewing our programs in isolation, we recognise that sustainable policy change requires investment across all levels of leadership – from emerging voices to institutional executives,” Dr Foretia said.
This year’s Think Tank Week integrates three flagship programs: Emerging Leaders Program (August 4–6), targeting young changemakers aged 18–35; Executive and Strategic Leadership Programme (August 5–6), tailored for CSO and think tank leaders and the Central Africa Think Tank Forum (August 7–8), the region’s premier platform for policy dialogue and collaboration.
Dr Foretia emphasised that the new “nomenclature” reflects the Foundation’s commitment to layered leadership development. “You cannot have sustainable change without engaging the next generation of change-makers at the national and regional levels,” he stated.
The Nkafu Policy Institute will host its 2025 Think Tank Week from August 4-8, 2025. Could we start with a breakdown of what the week entails, especially with the new nomenclature?
Dr Denis Foretia: The Think Tank Week represents an evolution in our approach to leadership development, policy dialogue and engagement in Central Africa. Rather than viewing our programs in isolation, we recognise that sustainable policy change requires investment across all levels of leadership. From emerging voices through seasoned institutional executives to collaborative regional efforts. The Think Tank Week integrates three distinct but interconnected programs: the Emerging Leaders Program (August 4-6), the Executive and Strategic Leadership Program (August 5-6), and the Central Africa Think Tank Forum (August 7-8).
This creates unprecedented opportunities for cross-generational learning and collaboration. The nomenclature reflects our belief that effective policy ecosystems require layered leadership investment. You cannot have strong think tanks without strong leaders. In a similar way, you cannot have sustainable change without engaging the next generation of change makers at the national and regional levels.
On the Emerging Leaders program’s performance, could you shed some light on the criteria for selection and the mechanisms or metrics used in measuring the progress of alumni?
Dr Denis Foretia: Our selection criteria for the Emerging Leaders program are extremely rigorous and deliberate. Remember, this is a very unique program, the only one of its kind in the entire region. The program identifies trailblazing young Cameroonian leaders between 18 and 35, with proven leadership, a robust community engagement track record, and policy research skills. These Emerging Leaders then participate in a leadership immersion program in Yaounde, honing their skills and understanding themselves. This bottom-top policy-making approach ensures that policy recommendations are anchored to the realities of everyday community life. Beyond the stringent credentials required, we seek individuals with moral clarity and a genuine commitment to serving others rather than advancing personal agendas.
Our measurement approach is equally comprehensive and deliberately focused on long-term impact. We maintain continuous follow-up with program alumni, tracking how they evolve in their leadership journey and the impact they are having in their communities. More importantly, we look for spillover effects, whether their initiatives inspire broader change beyond their immediate scope.
This approach has yielded remarkable results. 2024 alumnus, Dickson Ndzi, is now using policy engagement skills in his drug addiction prevention work, while Arrey Hernica, a 2020 alumnus, is using the program network in facilitating her development projects. Equally worthy of note is the fact that since 2019, over 150 Emerging Leaders have participated in the program with tangible impact across the country.
May we know the raison d’etre of the Executive and Strategic Leadership Program and how it fits into the vision of the Foretia Foundation?
Dr Denis Foretia: Definitely. The Executive and Strategic Leadership Program address a significant gap we have observed in Central Africa’s policy ecosystem. Think tank leaders and civil society executives often operate in increasingly volatile environments with limited resources and mounting pressures. Yet, they rarely receive training in crisis management, adaptive leadership, or sustainable organisational development. As a matter of fact, surveys from the last decade in Cameroon and the Central African Republic found that between 60% to 70% of registered NGOs reported heightened administrative delays, barriers with licensing, or harassment by government authorities. Our ESLP therefore, seeks to address this leadership deficit that is often exacerbated by the shrinking civic space in the sub-region.
This gap becomes particularly problematic when these leaders must navigate complex political environments while maintaining organisational independence and effectiveness. Our focus this year is on the theme “Navigating Volatility: Sustaining Think Tanks and CSOs in Unstable Environments,” and provides practical tools for organisational resilience, which these leaders need.
The program aligns perfectly with our Foundation’s vision, as institutional sustainability is a prerequisite for policy influence. You cannot have effective advocacy without strong organisations. At the same time, you cannot build strong organisations without capable leaders. This connects directly to our vision of accelerating Africa’s economic transformation, as strengthened think tanks and CSOs are essential vehicles for evidence-informed policymaking across the region.
Concluding the week is the third edition of the Central Africa Think Tank Forum. What are the major stakes in this year’s forum, and what outcomes are you anticipating?
Dr Denis Foretia: The stakes are significant when you consider Central Africa’s position in the continental research landscape. We remain the continent’s most challenged region – we have only 63 classified think tanks compared to 102 in South Africa alone. Meanwhile, our region is faced with a rapidly shrinking civic space, weak institutions, and limited interregional collaboration.
The theme for this year’s Forum, “Shaping the Future: Role of Think Tanks and Civil Society in Central Africa Policy Processes,” directly addresses these challenges by focusing on practical solutions rather than simply identifying problems. We anticipate concrete outcomes: strengthened networks among regional institutions, new funding partnerships, collaborative research initiatives, and most importantly, actionable policy recommendations that governments and development partners can implement.
A particularly exciting element of this Forum is how we are fostering the next generation of policy leaders by integrating Emerging Leaders participants into high-level discussions, typically reserved for senior practitioners. This cross-generational approach ensures that policy solutions reflect both experience and innovation, and that the next generation of leaders gains exposure while maturing during this incubational process.
May we know some of the prominent names and institutional partners that you have on board for the Think Tank Forum?
Dr Denis Foretia: We are honoured to have distinguished regional and international leaders participating, each bringing unique perspectives to our discussions. We are honoured to host Professor Jean-Emmanuel Pondi, who brings decades of international relations expertise, and Enrique Mendizabal from On Think Tanks offers global perspectives on think tank effectiveness that help contextualise our regional challenges.
The Forum also has key development partners in attendance. Dr. Marie-Gloriose Ingabire from IDRC and Pamla Gopaul from AUDA-NEPAD represent major organisations committed to African research capacity building. Their participation demonstrates serious institutional engagement in Central Africa’s policy development.
The private sector representation adds significant economic perspectives to our policy discussions. Gwendoline Abunaw, Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon, alongside Dr. Tumenta Kennedy, whose work with SME development across the diaspora brings practical business insights, ensures that our policy recommendations consider real-world economic realities.
Human rights and peacebuilding perspectives come from Barrister Felix Agbor Balla, recipient of the 2024 International Human Rights Award, and Esther Omam Njomo, recent winner of the Global Pluralism Award. These are just a few of the unique voices that will join think tank leaders from other countries at the Forum.
How does the theme of this year’s Think Tank Forum blend with the current realities in Cameroon and the region?
Dr Denis Foretia: The theme emerges directly from what we observe across our Central Africa region, where governments remain somewhat incapable of ensuring participatory governance while civil society operates in increasingly constrained spaces. Think tanks and research institutions often lack the resources and networks needed to effectively influence policies, yet the need for evidence-informed solutions has never been greater.
This disconnect between research capacity and policy influence creates a particular urgency around our theme. The Forum acknowledges that think tanks and civil society must play more active roles in shaping policy processes rather than simply critiquing or making suggestions from the sidelines. This requires new skills, stronger networks, and more strategic approaches to policy engagement.
In Cameroon specifically, we need stronger policy dialogue between the government and civil society. The government needs to review its perception of civic organisations and institutionalise dialogue spaces with think tanks and CSOs in light of what is in place with the private sector. Meanwhile, think tanks must improve their research capacity and develop more effective advocacy strategies. The Forum creates space for these conversations while building practical capabilities for enhanced policy engagement that can be replicated across the region.
In three years of the Think Tank Forum, may we know the progress you have seen and what challenges you still see?
Dr Denis Foretia: The progress has been encouraging, particularly in terms of building genuine collaboration among institutions that previously worked in isolation. We have grown from establishing the Forum in 2023 to now hosting over 200 participants from across the region and beyond. More importantly, we are seeing actual partnerships emerge through joint research projects, shared funding proposals, and policy coordination initiatives.
However, significant challenges persist that require honest acknowledgement. Funding constraints continue to limit think tank operations across the region, with the 2023 On Think Tank report revealing that 86% of African think tanks believed the funding outlook was worsening. This is a very serious issue. We also face persistent perceptions, I would even say fabricated perceptions by some governments, that civil society organisations are foreign agents rather than legitimate development partners. This complicates policy engagement.
The policy environment itself remains challenging, with limited government demand for evidence from in-country think tanks. Most critically, we still lack the research infrastructure and policy influence that regions such as East and Southern Africa have developed over decades. Building this will require sustained investment and political commitment beyond what any single Forum can achieve, though we remain squarely committed to that longer-term economic transformation.
How satisfied are you with the Foundation on how your programs and initiatives have evolved up to this high-profile level, and what should people expect in the years ahead?
Dr Denis Foretia: We are proud of the Foundation’s growth trajectory. Today, we have over 35 permanent staff members implementing programs across four technical areas. Our work speaks for itself. Our number one goal, always, is top-quality research and policy engagement. Our convenings, such as this Forum and many others, reflect the depth and breadth of our work. This credibility has been built through consistent, high-quality work over more than a decade.
Looking ahead, people should expect us to deepen our regional presence while maintaining the excellence in our core areas. That is what we expect of ourselves. We are exploring partnerships that will extend our reach across Central Africa and beyond, while continuing to serve as a model for independent, evidence-based policy research that actually influences decision-making.
The Think Tank Week is an annual platform for regional policy dialogue, but we are also developing year-round collaboration mechanisms to sustain the relationships and initiatives launched during the Forum. Our vision remains to accelerate Africa’s economic transformation. That is what we are committed to doing.
To potential partners out there, from governments, to civil society and those on the international scene, what is your sales pitch to them on the merits of engaging with the Foretia Foundation-what makes the vision and services of the Foundation stand out?
Dr Denis Foretia: That’s an interesting question. We are who we are, and we are very clear about it. We have an unwavering commitment to independence and a free society. We are focused on long-term, transformative and foundational changes, not ephemeral, short, quick fixes. That is who we are. Real change is difficult and takes time. We are committed to the long haul.
Our multi-sectoral approach means we focus on addressing complex challenges that often require coordinated responses across health, governance, economic development, social entrepreneurship, security and other sectors. For governments, we offer actionable and community-centred evidence-informed policy recommendations grounded in the African perspective and taking into consideration contextual realities on the ground. For civil society, we provide capacity building and engagement opportunities that strengthen the entire ecosystem rather than just individual organisations.
For international partners, we offer authentic local partnerships with demonstrated industry knowledge on core thematic areas, impact and regional credibility that has been built over years of consistent performance. Engaging with us is investing in a regional institution committed to long-term transformation rather than short-term projects that disappear when funding ends. Again, that’s who we are.
The Think Tank Week exemplifies our approach perfectly. Rather than organising isolated convenings, we are creating platforms for ongoing collaboration that strengthen Central Africa’s policy capacity over time as well as across sectors and generations. Partners engaging with us are investing in something sustainable, something that will continue generating value long after any individual grant cycle concludes.
*Culled from August edition of PAV Magazine
