Institute for African Futures (IF/AF) is an independent dream+think tank that will serve as a platform to chart Africa’s shared future course and create a compelling vision of the continent.
THE CONTEXT
The world is always changing. However, many signs suggest that we are entering a new era. Old certainties in societies, democracies, and economies are being disrupted. Inequality is rising. Mass displacement of people is at its highest level in decades. The rise of artificial intelligence and big data both threatens job security and promises huge opportunities. The climate is changing. Genetic engineering is redefining humanity. These shifts stretch across traditional borders and have a disproportionate impact on developing countries, particularly in Africa. Africa is home to 60 percent of the world’s arable land and over 60 percent of its population is under 25 years. There has never been a greater need for long-term future thinking in Africa for the sake of humanity.
THE INSTITUTE
Institute for African Futures (IF/AF) is an independent dream+think tank that will serve as a platform to chart Africa’s shared future course and create a compelling vision of the continent.
Partnering with some of Africa’s most passionate and visionary advocates, IF/AF will bring together future-driven experts from many sectors and disciplines to tackle issues from unconventional perspectives, gathering many hands to untangle the world’s pressing problems from Africa’s point of view. IF/AF will serve as a knowledge exchange and collaboration platform for forward-thinking public institutions, organizations, and entrepreneurs who want to forge strategic collaborations for Africa’s tech-driven future.
The power of imagination, science, and technology to steer the continent’s future will be a guiding principle of IF/AF work. IF/AF will pioneer new interdisciplinary research, weaving data science through the arts, humanities and social sciences to address major challenges and identify opportunities in an increasingly disrupted world. IF/AF is premised on the belief that providing a compelling vision for Africa’s future is a fundamental requirement for unleashing its true potential.
OUR MISSION
To build the next generation of global African futures thinkers and foresight practitioners into new systems of knowledge and creative production.
OUR VISION
To be a premier futures thinking and foresight platform for all things Africa.
OUR PURPOSE
To advance African shared futures thinking and strategic foresight to imagine and manifest Africa’s emergence.
OUR VALUES
Curiosity > Mastery
We value ideas and cherish the intellect. We strive for learning and growth and look to multiple sources, internally and externally. Because we are curious, we value opposing views and welcome both challenges and challenger alike.
Ecosystem > Egosystem
We embrace the old South African philosophy of Ubuntu (I am Because we are). The continent’s pressing problems can not be solved by a single actor, country, or region. It will require an entire village of visionaries and dreamers to shape and manifest Africa’s future.
Foresight > Hindsight
We strive to deconstruct the African past to build a bright future. We echo the Futurist Bill Gibson’s famous quote, “The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.” We don’t make predictions but rather provide different future scenarios that can expand our African worldview.
Open Source > Secret Sauce
We succeed by sharing knowledge, behaving ethically, and helping each other. We keep our promises, value transparency, and extend goodwill. We commit to results and measure them. We are dreamers but yet solutions-oriented. We learn from failure, celebrate success, take ownership of both, and share them with our community.