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Prof Peter Wanyande’s engagement with PASGR goes back eight years—even before the pan-African policy research organisation was born. “I had the opportunity to discuss the initiative with the current Executive Director, Prof Tade Akin Aina, and Higher Education Programme (HEP) Director Beatrice Muganda at the very initial stages of PASGR,” he says. The don has […]

When National Treasury Consultant Fred Owegi was invited to give a one-hour talk to a group of Masters students at the Maseno University in Kisumu, the session lasted three hours! The talk in 2016 was on fiscal decentralisation. “PASGR felt there was limited understanding of fiscal decentralisation in Kenya.” He was impressed by the level […]

Higher Education The graduation of 22 candidates in the first class of the collaborative Master of Research and Public Policy (MRPP) was a landmark achievement in 2016. The graduands at the universities of Dar es Salaam (November 8) and Mzumbe (December 2) joined PASGR’s flagship programme at its inception in 2014. Higher Education Programme (HEP) […]

Maureen Sylvia Kusiima’s relationship with PASGR dates back to 2014. The Master of Research and Public Policy (MRPP) student from Uganda Christian University credits PASGR for honing her research skills to include public policy issue analysis, lobbying and advocacy. The student, who describes herself as “determined, hardworking, and self-driven” has acquired tools, design and other […]

The Kenya Revenue Authority’s granting of five-year tax exemption was a major milestone for PASGR in 2016. In a year marked by bold attempts to execute projects efficiently and effectively, the exemption starting October 31 was a major achievement. “The concession ensures that whatever funding we get will not be subject to income tax,” Finance […]

Africa is hitting new heights in terms of its democratic process, macro-economic growth, and constitutional commitment to social welfare. However, the continent lacks the financial and institutional capacity – and in some places the political will – to honour its pledges to the poor and vulnerable. About 90% of all citizens, many of whom are […]

“The course opened up my professional horizon and gave me a new perspective about research. The facilitators are patient, understanding and caring. They readily help trainees to quickly comprehend the topics offered.” This was a testimonial by one of the participants at the end of the Professional Development Training Programme held in April, 2017  in […]

In 2016, several instructors in the PASGR Advanced Research Design and Policy Oriented Research Professional Development and Training programme undertook a joint research project. The idea was to ground what they teach participants on the practical application of various methods in research. The instructors identified a common problem in Africa and applied their expertise to […]

In the fifth and final blog in a series on Interrogating Decentralisation in Africa, Kassa Teshager Alemu – assistant professor at the Ethiopian Civil Service University – uses his research on the role of informal actors in Addis Ababa’s solid waste management system to reflect on the recent Koshe landslide and how a similar disaster […]

In this blog, the fourth in a series on Interrogating Decentralisation in Africa, Daniel Doh investigates the impact of staff motivation and competence levels within local government on the quality of service delivery in Ghana’s district assemblies Kejetia Market, Ghana. Image credit: Nyani Quarmyne/Panos Decentralisation in Ghana One of the most discussed and acted upon […]