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The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) has signed a Host Country Agreement (HCA) with the Government of Kenya strengthening its commitment to further facilitate AERC’s operations in the Republic of Kenya. This follows the recent Cabinet’s approval by the government of the Republic Kenya.

The agreement, signed by Prime Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs H.E. Musalia Mudavadi and the AERC Executive Director, Prof. Victor Murinde further establishes Nairobi as a regional headquarters for the AERC and highlights Kenya’s support for economic research initiatives across the continent.

With the agreement now in place, the Government of Kenya explicitly authorizes AERC to establish a Headquarters Seat in Nairobi, for purposes of carrying out its activities both in Kenya and elsewhere. This Headquarters Seat shall operate under the direction of the Executive Director who shall be appointed by AERC and shall be responsible for the implementation of this Agreement on behalf of AERC.

“Several spaces and entry points already exist for stronger collaboration between the Government of Kenya and the AERC, especially in new areas of evidence based economic policy research that feeds into Kenya’s policy making process, particularly in the area of debt,” said Mudavadi.” Kenya can benefit from the research work and short-term training that the AERC does in the Africa continent. We, therefore, welcome the continued operation of the Consortium’s office in Nairobi, he added.

“The Signing this HCA is a great milestone for the AERC as it provides a footing to expand our work in Kenya and the rest of the African continent. The AERC has been working in collaboration with the government of Kenya in a project titled “Capacity Building Project for Economic Policy Analysis: A Comprehensive Approach to Strengthening the Policy Analysis and Economic Management Capacities in the Treasury.” This project was initiated in March 2010 and AERC is ready to take on any other projects,” said Prof. Murinde.

Since 1988, the AERC has established a solid Pan-African network for high quality economic research and graduate training, fostering a vibrant community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to advancing African economic knowledge and designing tailored policy instruments. The organization, which is one of the most active Research and Capacity Building Institutions (RCBIs) in the world, with a focus on Africa integrates high quality economic policy research, postgraduate training and policy engagement within a vast network of researchers, universities and policy makers across Africa and beyond.

In the new phase, the AERC Strategic Plan 2025-2035 sets out a coherent and systematic road map that will guide the implementation of its programmes. The 10-year strategic horizon is not only aligned with Africa’s development goals and the priorities of regional organizations, such as the African Union and the African Development Bank Group, for programmatic reasons, but it is also instrumental to reinvigorating the AERC’s mission and ensuring the Consortium’s future.

The signature of this agreement follows productive discussions between AERC and Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, The National Treasury, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Office of the Attorney General, and State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services underscoring the government’s prioritization of strategic engagements in regional affairs.

The AERC remains committed to working closely with the Government of Kenya and other partners to promote and strengthen its core functions and ensure that the organization not only meets the current demands of the research community, policy makers, civil society and the private sector but it also anticipates the future needs of the continent.