Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) has been selected for the 2026 roster of Think Tanks marking the second consecutive year the Pan-African survey research network has been featured.
The second edition of the On Think Tanks (OTT) honour roll recognises 55 organisations worldwide nominated by their peers for noteworthy practices, initiatives, and contributions to research, policy, and public debate, as stated in a news distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer.
Afrobarometer’s data, based on face-to-face interviews with ordinary Africans, are helping to shape policy conversations and decisions across the continent, providing policy makers and institutions with credible evidence of citizens’ experiences, priorities, and expectations.
The Think Tanks to Watch citation notes several examples of the network’s impact in policy processes, including the use of its data in South Africa’s Medium-Term Development Plan 2024–2029, Ghana’s discussions on proposed reforms for the direct election of local chief executives, and Senegal’s launch of an entrepreneurship programme.
“For more than two decades, Afrobarometer has made citizens’ views and experiences part of the evidence available to inform public policy,” said Amina Oyagbola, chair of Afrobarometer’s board of directors. “The examples highlighted by OTT show how credible, independent data can help institutions better understand the people they serve and make decisions that respond to citizens’ needs and priorities.”
Afrobarometer CEO Joseph Asunka said the recognition highlights the importance of making research accessible and useful beyond the research community.
“Our work does not end with collecting data. We want our findings to reach the policy makers, researchers, civil society organisations, and others who can use them to understand public priorities and inform decisions,” Asunka said. “These examples show what becomes possible when reliable public-attitude data are put to use.”
Think Tanks to Watch is a peer-recognition initiative launched in 2025. It is not a ranking or an independent assessment of organisational performance. Rather, it highlights practices, innovations, and contributions that peers consider valuable and worth sharing, creating opportunities for learning and collaboration across the global think-tank community.
