Africa Future Initiative

The Africa Future Initiative is a think tank dedicated to driving innovation and fostering investment in Africa’s resource and energy sectors. We finance research, invest into entrepreneurs, develop policy recommendations, and facilitate dialogue among decision-makers.

Namibia - leading the Transition

From rich biodiversity, world-class renewable energy potential, critical minerals, and a young population – Namibia has the ingredients for sustainable growth. The key question is: how can we harness these resources to create inclusive prosperity while safeguarding them for future generations?

The Africa Future Initiative is dedicated to answering this question – through applied research on policies, sustainable growth, entrepreneurship, and financing, we turn potential into impact.

Our Activities

  • Finance Research Projects - and translate it into Policies

    We commission and conduct applied research to promote evidence-based policymaking and de-risk investment in Africa’s resource and energy sectors. Our research focuses on emerging technologies in renewable energy and resource processing, digitalisation, local value chains and industrialization. We support collaborations between African and European universities.

  • Entrepreneurship - Develop the skills and a framework for innovation

    We see entrepreneurship as key. We want to create spaces where ideas can grow into ventures. We will focus on strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting start-ups and fostering innovation across sectors. We aim to provide leadership and entrepreneurship trainings, offer mentorship programs, knowledge-sharing platforms, and access to financing mechanisms.

  • Investments - make Namibia investment ready

    A key barrier to economic growth is the lack of investment, often due to high — whether perceived or real — risks and higher financing costs. That’s why we focus on innovative investment strategies that lower these barriers. We mobilize investments and directly invest in innovations across sectors to unlock local value creation. Our work includes de-risking, providing market intelligence, and developing investment plans.

Our Focus

Energy

Africa plays a pivotal role in the global energy transition. We research innovative business models that support equitable and effective collaboration between European and African partners in the development of green energy value chains.

Resources

Africa’s natural resources are of global relevance — a fact further underscored by Europe’s push to diversify its supply of critical raw materials. We explore how resource wealth can drive economic transformation through local value creation and industrialization.

Digitalization

Digitalization can be either a risk or a powerful opportunity. We analyze how digital technologies can be leveraged to leapfrog traditional development pathways — from e-governance to smart infrastructure and digital entrepreneurship.

Innovation

Innovation is key. We promote and support locally rooted technological solutions that respond to global challenges — from climate resilience to industrial automation — and identify scalable models that can create jobs and future-proof African economies.

Entrepreneurship

Africa’s youth is its greatest asset. We invest in young leaders through targeted leadership programs, exchange platforms, and mentorship networks that build capacity, nurture talent, and connect the next generation of African innovators with global opportunities.

EU-African Dialogue

We believe that deeper dialogue between Africa and Europe is essential to unlock the full potential of both continents. Through forums, strategic partnerships, and open exchange, we aim to build trust, align interests, and shape a shared agenda for sustainable development and innovation.

Our Structure

To ensure both sustainability and impact, the Think Tank is designed with three complementary pillars:

  1. Non-Profit Arm (NPO) – attracting grants and donor funding to carry out research, pilot projects, and capacity development initiatives.

  2. Funding Window – mobilizing and channeling financing to support innovative projects, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth initiatives.

  3. Consultancy Arm – providing advisory services to governments, companies, and institutions. This arm generates income and ensures financial independence.

Funding Window:

Green Industrialisation Pilot Projects

To accelerate Namibia’s transition towards a sustainable and competitive economy, a Funding Window of €20 million in grant financing has been launched to support pilot projects in green industrialisation.

This facility is designed to back innovative projects with strategic relevance for Namibia’s green economy — initiatives that demonstrate how renewable energy and sustainable practices can unlock new industries, strengthen value chains, and create jobs. The focus is on projects that:

  • Advance green industries such as hydrogen, green iron and steel, critical raw materials, or digital services powered by renewables.

  • Have potential for local value creation, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.

  • Serve as scalable models, paving the way for larger investments and replication.

  • Involve partnerships between Namibian and international companies, research institutions, and communities.

By providing risk-tolerant, catalytic grant funding, the Funding Window will enable forward-looking projects to move from concept to reality, demonstrate tangible impacts, and attract follow-on private and public investment.

Setting up the Think Tank

NOW: Build up the core TEAM.

end of 2025: Oranize the High Level STEERING BOARD.

2025/26: Setting up the NPO arm (section 32) build up network, publish

2027: Full operation

2026: Build up the commercial TEAM.

Opinion Piece on the African-European Relationship, August 2025, by Simon Inauen

Europe and Africa: it's time to update the relationship status.

The relationship between Europe and Africa holds far greater potential than is currently realized. Africa must not remain merely a source of raw materials — it should be recognized as a strategic partner in the global energy transition. By collaborating on workforce development, joint research, and interconnected trade systems, both continents can create a more balanced, forward-looking partnership. This requires a shift in mindset: from extraction to co-creation, from dependency to shared prosperity. Only through equitable collaboration can Europe and Africa address global challenges and shape a more resilient, inclusive world economy.

Deep Dive

Unlocking Africa’s Economic Potential Through Digital Public Infrastructure

What is Digital Public Infrastructure?

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) refers to the foundational digital systems and platforms that enable secure, inclusive, and interoperable delivery of services across society. It includes elements such as digital identity systems, interoperable payment networks, and data exchange frameworks. DPI is not about individual apps or isolated solutions—it is about the shared “rails” upon which governments, businesses, and communities can build.

When designed and implemented effectively, DPI can transform governance, accelerate economic development, and enable access to essential services. For Africa, where digital transformation is advancing rapidly but unevenly, DPI offers a pathway to leapfrog legacy systems and drive inclusive growth.