Research Centres

International and national research centres play an important role in the scientific debates on development-political and security-political issues. They are the sources of inspiration and critical companions of the North-South-South-East cooperation. Consulting and training of skilled workers is also one of the tasks of some centres.

We present some institutes from several countries that have a focus on research, especially in the field of social sciences on the African continent or in the Great Lakes region, or whose headquarters are in Africa.

In the 55 states in Africa, there are several hundred universities, and besides state institutions also many private or denominational colleges or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In addition, there are numerous Think Tanks and institutes, which offer e.g. policy consultancy.

Here we present some centres that offer high-quality research. There you will often find references to partner universities, other institutions and up-to-date information as starting points for further research, such as on the Africa Portal. The “African Studies Association Germany” (ger.: Vereinigung für Afrikawissenschaften in Deutschland e.V. – VAD) currently provides a toolbox that allows free access to databases worldwide.

Status December 2020