As the Central African Think Tank Forum enters its fourth edition, Dr Denis Foretia says the region must move beyond producing research and build stronger pathways for evidence to influence decisions, reforms and development outcomes.
By Ajong Mbapndah L
Central Africa is not short of ideas, research or policy prescriptions. What it has too often lacked is the machinery to turn them into decisions, reforms and measurable results. For Dr Denis Foretia, Executive Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute and Co-Chair of the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation, closing that gap has become one of the region’s most pressing development challenges.
As governments wrestle with unemployment, fiscal pressures, infrastructure deficits, weak regional trade, governance concerns and rapidly changing global economic conditions, Foretia argues that think tanks can no longer be satisfied with producing reports that gather dust after publication. Research institutions, he says, must become more deeply engaged in the policymaking process, while governments must create stronger channels for credible independent evidence to inform decisions.
That challenge is at the heart of the fourth Central African Think Tank Forum, convened under the theme, “From Evidence to Action: Strengthening Policy Uptake in Central Africa.” What began as a platform for dialogue is steadily developing into a regional meeting point for policymakers, researchers, civil society, development partners and the private sector. The previous edition brought together more than 230 high-level and multisector stakeholders from eight countries across three continents, reflecting the growing appetite for a distinctly Central African platform for serious policy engagement.
Foretia believes the next test is impact. Can research shape government priorities? Can think tanks help unlock regional integration and AfCFTA opportunities? Can recommendations survive beyond conference halls and find their way into budgets, regulations and reforms? And can the Forum itself evolve from an annual gathering into a permanent pillar of Central Africa’s policy architecture?
In this wide-ranging interview with Pan African Visions, Dr Denis Foretia discusses the evolution of the Forum, the persistent disconnect between research and policymaking, the changing role of think tanks, regional integration, partnerships and his five-year vision for turning evidence into action. His central message is clear: the value of policy research should ultimately be measured not simply by how much is published, but by what changes because of it.
The Central African Think Tank Forum is entering its fourth edition. What has changed since you launched it, and what impact has it had so far?
Dr Denis Foretia: The fourth edition is a continuation of a conversation that began three editions ago: how can Central Africa build stronger policy institutions capable of generating evidence, influencing decisions, and supporting reforms? The Forum has progressively evolved from a convening platform into a space for regional learning, peer exchange, collaboration, and policy engagement.
What has changed is the depth of the conversation. We are increasingly asking not only whether evidence exists, but whether it reaches policymakers, responds to their priorities, aligns with political agendas and development priorities and ultimately influences decisions. This year’s theme, From Evidence to Action, reflects that evolution. The Forum is now explicitly focused on strengthening the pathway from research to policy implementation.
What concrete outcomes from the first three editions are you most proud of?
Dr Denis Foretia: I would highlight three outcomes. First, we have created a sustained regional community bringing together think tanks, policymakers, civil society, academia, development partners, and private-sector actors. Second, we have strengthened conversations around the institutional conditions required for think tanks to remain credible, independent, and policy-relevant. Third, we have moved the discussion toward collaboration and practical solutions, rather than simply diagnosing Central Africa’s challenges.
The 2026 Forum builds on this foundation by asking participants to identify concrete mechanisms for improving policy uptake, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that recommendations remain relevant to governments’ evolving development priorities. The growing participation in the Forum and a host of strategic policy stakeholders demonstrate that there is demand for a credible, Central Africa-focused platform of this nature. As a matter of fact, the last edition convened over 230 high-profile and multisector policy stakeholders from three continents spread across eight countries.
Central Africa has often lagged behind West, East and Southern Africa in think-tank influence and policy innovation. Is the region finally catching up?
Dr Denis Foretia: For Nkafu and The Okwelians to feature among the 100 Think Tanks to Watch in 2025 is evidence that we are making some progress. But we should be careful not to declare victory. Central Africa still faces structural constraints: limited institutional capacity, weak research-to-policy linkages, fragmented regional cooperation, financing constraints, and, in some countries, challenging environments for independent policy engagement.
At the same time, the region has enormous intellectual and institutional resources. The opportunity now is to connect these resources more effectively. Central African think tanks need to collaborate more across borders, policymakers need stronger channels for engaging independent evidence, and development partners need to invest in locally led policy institutions. The objective should not simply be to “catch up” with other regions, but to build a stronger Central African policy ecosystem adapted to the region’s realities.
This year’s theme is “From Evidence to Action.” Where is the biggest disconnect between research and policymaking in Central Africa?
Dr Denis Foretia: The biggest gap is not necessarily a shortage of research. It is the weak institutional pathway or connection within the policymaking process — evidence, political priorities, policy decisions, implementation, and feedback.
A policy recommendation can be technically sound but have limited influence if it is disconnected from the government’s current agenda, fiscal realities, institutional capacity, or political economy. Conversely, policymakers may have urgent decisions to make but lack timely, accessible, context-specific evidence. The Think Tank Forum helps to bridge this gap.
We therefore need a two-way relationship. Think tanks must better understand the policy questions governments are trying to solve, while governments must create more systematic opportunities to access, assess, and respond to independent evidence. This is particularly important when governments are simultaneously managing fiscal pressures, employment challenges, infrastructure deficits, regional integration, and social demands.
The World Bank, for example, notes that CEMAC countries need better-targeted public spending, stronger private-sector development, improved public financial management, and more efficient public services to generate better jobs and living conditions.
The Forum focuses on research, governance, data, policy influence and regional cooperation. Which demands the most urgent attention today?
Dr Denis Foretia: I would say policy responsiveness, because it connects all the others. Good governance requires credible data. Good policy requires rigorous research. Regional integration requires evidence and coordination. But these investments matter only when institutions can translate them into decisions and implementation.
We therefore need to strengthen the entire policy ecosystem: improve the quality of evidence, strengthen data systems, enhance communication between researchers and policymakers, and establish mechanisms through which governments can respond to, adopt, adapt, or formally assess policy recommendations.
This last point is critical. Policy influence should not mean that governments automatically accept every recommendation. It means creating a credible process through which evidence is considered alongside political priorities, available resources, institutional realities, and citizens’ needs.
Who should we expect at the fourth edition, and what does the calibre of participants say about the Forum’s growing stature?
Dr Denis Foretia: The Forum brings together policymakers, government officials, researchers, think tank leaders, academics, civil society organisations, development partners, and private-sector representatives. This diversity is deliberate because the policy process itself is multidisciplinary.
The participation of these different actors allows us to connect realities that are too often discussed separately. A researcher may understand the evidence; a policymaker understands institutional constraints; a business leader understands market realities; and civil society understands how policies affect communities. Bringing these perspectives together can produce recommendations that are both evidence-informed and implementable.
How can think tanks move beyond producing reports to actually influencing government decisions and reforms?
Dr Denis Foretia: Think tanks need to move from a publication-centric model to a policy-engagement model. That means starting with clearly defined policy problems, engaging relevant stakeholders during the research process, understanding the political and institutional context, communicating findings in accessible formats, and remaining engaged after publication.
Most importantly, recommendations must be actionable. They should identify what needs to change, who should act, what resources are required, when action should occur, and how progress can be measured.
Governments, in turn, should strengthen mechanisms for engaging independent research institutions and communicating how evidence informs policy decisions. This would create greater accountability on both sides and make policy influence a more systematic process rather than an informal relationship.
Where do ECCAS and AfCFTA fit into the conversation, and what must Central Africa do to accelerate regional integration?
Dr Denis Foretia: Regional integration is one of the clearest areas where collaboration between policymakers and think tanks can produce tangible value. Central Africa has frameworks such as ECCAS, while AfCFTA creates a continental opportunity to expand markets and regional value chains.
The challenge is implementation. Central Africa must reduce trade barriers, improve transport and energy infrastructure, strengthen cross-border value chains, harmonise regulations, and translate regional commitments into national reforms. ECCAS consultations have similarly highlighted the importance of strengthening AfCFTA implementation, regional value chains, infrastructure, and investment frameworks.
Think tanks can help governments identify where implementation is failing, generate comparative evidence, and propose reforms that are politically and economically feasible.
Central Africa faces major challenges, from governance and jobs to trade, security and investment. How closely will this year’s discussions reflect these realities?
Dr Denis Foretia: Very closely. The Forum is deliberately grounded in the realities facing the region. Central Africa remains heavily exposed to commodity dependence and external shocks, while countries face pressures related to employment, public finances, governance, security, investment, and access to basic services. A recent World Bank assessment describes the region as facing resource dependence, fragility, low access to basic services, and uneven reform momentum.
This means that our discussions cannot remain theoretical. Recommendations need to be anchored in current political agendas and development priorities, while also anticipating emerging challenges such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, climate pressures, changing global trade patterns, and new financing constraints.
What partnerships have helped build the Forum, and where are the opportunities for new partners and sponsors to come on board?
Dr Denis Foretia: The Forum has been built on collaboration among think tanks, policymakers, civil society, development partners, academia, and other stakeholders. That collaborative foundation must now become even stronger. This is an opportunity for me to be thankful to IDRC, GIZ, the African Union and the World Bank for their valuable support.
We are looking for partners who understand that strengthening African policy institutions is itself a development investment. Opportunities exist not only for financial sponsorship but also for joint research, technical expertise, leadership development, knowledge exchange, regional networks, and policy engagement.
The next phase should be about building partnerships that continue beyond the Forum itself and generate sustained collaboration among Central African institutions.
What is your broader vision for the Central African Think Tank Forum over the next five years?
Dr Denis Foretia: My vision is for the Forum to become a permanent regional mechanism for policy learning, collaboration, and accountability for evidence-informed policymaking.
Over the next five years, I would like to see stronger networks among Central African think tanks, more collaborative cross-border research, greater engagement between researchers and policymakers, and more systematic tracking of whether policy recommendations are being considered and implemented.
Ultimately, we should be able to look back at each edition and ask: What changed because we came together? Which recommendations gained traction? Which reforms were implemented? What did governments learn? What did researchers learn?
That is how the Forum can move from being an annual event to becoming part of the region’s policy infrastructure.
Finally, for policymakers, investors, development partners, think tanks and business leaders still undecided, why should they be in Yaoundé for this fourth edition?
Dr Denis Foretia: Because Central Africa needs fewer disconnected conversations and more spaces where different actors can connect their realities and work toward common solutions.
The fourth edition is not a departure from the previous Forums; it is their next chapter. We are moving from asking whether evidence exists to asking how evidence can inform decisions, how recommendations can align with evolving national and regional priorities, and how governments and other stakeholders can become more responsive to credible policy analysis.
For policymakers, it is an opportunity to engage evidence and perspectives from across the region. For researchers, it is an opportunity to connect their work to real policy challenges. For development partners and investors, it offers insight into the region’s reform priorities and institutional landscape.
Most importantly, it is an opportunity to help shape a more responsive, collaborative and evidence-informed policy ecosystem for Central Africa.
*Culled from September Issue of PAV Magazine
