The Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) was founded in 2007, and formally incorporated in Nigeria in April 2008 as a non-profit policy research organisation. The Centre was established by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Minister of Finance of Nigeria, and currently Managing Director of the World Bank.

CSEA’s activities are focused on improving the efficiency of public sector spending in Africa and enhancing Africa’s preparedness to contribute to international economic policy debates. Currently, its two primary research areas are: Macroeconomic Management and Transparency, Accountability and Poverty. CSEA is also implementing its Opinion Research and Polling Initiative in partnership with NOI Polls and Gallup (USA).

In the near future, CSEA will expand its research capacity to examine issues such as Sub-national Public Financial Management; Africa, China and India Program; Climate Change and the Environment; and Oil Revenue Management.

CSEA is strategically based in Abuja for proximity to government agencies located in the nation’s capital. From there it reaches out to stakeholders in the private sector, government, national assembly, and civil society to promote policy dialogues among these parties.