University of Pennsylvania annually nominates the most influential Think Tanks in the world in various categories. The competition is fierce - over 6,600 are invited to attend. Now, the lists for 2012 are ready. Most Think Tanks are located in North America, while Africa accounts for 8 percent (554 Think Tanks). On the list of Africa's highest ranked Think Tanks, eight organizations are supported by Sida. Four of them also qualify in the top list of the 150 highest ranked Think Tanks in the world.
Lena Schildt and Kwame Gbemesete are working with the Regional Program for Peace and Security and Research at the embassy in Addis Ababa and are responsible for supporting the organizations:
- It is very gratifying to see that these organizations we support maintain so high standard that they are among the most influential in the world. It is important because they provide an African perspective to the world. Their activities also contribute in a very concrete way to the capacity development and African ownership that Sida supports through the regional development efforts.
The South African Institute of International Affairs SAIIA is on the 81st place of the list over the best Think Tanks in the world. On 113th place is Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria, South Africa ISS. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa CODESRIA is on place 121 and finally on 134th place comes the Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa OSSREA.
On the African list, SAIIA and ISS are on first and second place. Two institutions supported by Sida, ACCORD and CCR, are on fourth and sixth place on the same list.
