Bridging Scholarly Networks: WGAPE’s Journey in Transforming African Political Economy Research

In a world where research about Africa often lacks research agenda-setting by Africans, models of inclusive, collaborative scholarship are rare. By providing resources, creating networks, and centering African researchers, WGAPE is reshaping how research about the continent is conceptualized, conducted, and understood.

A Platform for Diverse Scholarly Voices

The Working Group on African Political Economy (WGAPE) has been deliberate in its mission to center African scholars in research about African political economy. Since 2019, the new unique configuration of WGAPE events have allowed them to serve as transformative spaces where researchers from diverse backgrounds can share, critique, and refine their work. WGAPE has been hosted at several African universities — including the University of Cape Town, University of Rwanda, Strathmore University in Kenya, and the University of Ghana — and US-based ones  — including UC Berkeley, the Ohio State University, and Cornell University. At all locations, scholars agree to the expectation of reading all participant papers or research designs, enabling attendees to deliver rich feedback.

Convening numbers tell a compelling story. At the 2023 Annual Meeting at Strathmore University, more than half of paper presenters were African or Africa-based scholars — a significant achievement in a field historically dominated by researchers from high-income countries. Moreover, a recent survey showed that the majority of African participants feel their ability as a researcher have greatly improved as a result of attending WGAPE meetings. These meetings also nurture better research, with the majority of participants reporting that the feedback they receive is among the most detailed, constructive, and contextually grounded they’ve ever experienced.

Investing in Emerging Scholars

WGAPE’s commitment to nurturing talent is most evidenced by its Small Research Grants program. Over the past three years, the initiative awarded seven grants totaling $42,000 to African scholars, supporting research on critical topics ranging from post-election violence in Kenya to gender issues in nation-building. For anyone interested in a nuanced, contextually-rich understanding of African political economy, the research led by WGAPE’s grantees offers a blueprint for localized scholarly engagement.

More than just financial support, these grants help elevate African scholarship in leading academic publications. For example, Victor Agboga’s research on voter behavior in Nigeria received WGAPE funding that facilitated a nationally representative telephone survey during COVID-19 with over 1,000 participants. This survey ultimately contributed to at least three publications. Likewise, Uchenna Efobi’s research on the narrative framing of farmer-herder conflicts took shape after presenting his design at the 2022 WGAPE Annual Meeting.

“The feedback helped me refine the design to adopt a more realistic approach to experimentation and better articulate the policy motivation for the study,” said Efobi. “This ultimately led to the project’s completion and its publication in Ecological Economics.”

Fostering Meaningful Collaborations

Perhaps WGAPE’s most profound impact lies in its ability to create meaningful research collaborations. More than half of WGAPE survey respondents report a research partnership first sparked at a WGAPE meeting.

One remarkable example is the collaboration between Muthoni N’gang’a from Wilfrid Laurier University and Aimable Nsabimana from United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research, who jointly developed a research project on smart classrooms in Rwanda at the Strathmore University meeting in 2023. Some of these projects have resulted in lasting mentoring relationships that have turned into more formal collaboration. For example, Jubril Animaushan (University of Ilorin) and Constantine Manda (UC Irvine) are working together to study the long-run impact of the colonial legacies of missionary activities on political participation in Nigeria. 

Fall 2022 CEGA Fellow and WGAPE presenter, Abiola Oyebanjo, first attended WGAPE in 2018, as he was preparing to start his graduate studies in Nigeria. He remarks, “At that time, I had no exposure to advanced methodology or experimental research,” Oyebanjo says. “I ultimately presented my research in front of WGAPE faculty […] who helped me refine my research design, which I later used to apply to graduate school.” The network effects of WGAPE are powerful. In fact, Oyebanjo’s connections through WGAPE also facilitated consultant work on a migration project with a PI who later became his PhD advisor.

Expanding Institutional Reach

WGAPE has inspired similar working groups across different institutions, demonstrating the demand for this approach and the adaptability of the model. Alumni have established regional variants like MGAPE (Midwest WGAPE) and CAPERS (Comparative African Political Economy Research Seminar) and, in Nairobi, a chapter focused specifically on Kenyan political economy has emerged. 

A key strategic goal for WGAPE is transitioning leadership to African institutions. Over the next two years, WGAPE will work closely with the University of Ghana, Strathmore University, and the University of Nairobi to create a sustainable, Africa-led research network. The transition would be a remarkable win in the effort to decolonize academic research structures.

The future of African political economy research is collaborative, contextualized, and increasingly African-led—and WGAPE is part of that change.

Read more about some of our WGAPE Participants’ and Grantees’ Research:

• After presenting at the Annual Meeting, Victor Agboga, a 2021 Small Grants Recipient, received additional funding from the Routledge/Round Table Commonwealth Studentship to fund publication and further dissemination costs. 
• Michel Armel Ndayikeza, Lecturer at the University of Burundi and presenter at WGAPE Nairobi Meeting, was featured in VoxDev
• Miguel Ortiz, UC Berkeley Doctoral Student and presenter at WGAPE West Coast Meeting, was featured in VoxDev
• Kweku Opoku-Agyemang published “The Wages of Sin” in The Economist, and was featured in The LSE Connect Alumni Magazine, Cherokee Gothic: and Zing, a Vietnamese magazine.