The African Institute, as a research and research unit composed of academics, researchers and strategists who are experts in Africa, is the first serious institution opened on this subject in Turkey.

The Africa Working Group, established by the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM) in December 2004, started to continue its studies on Africa under the name of the African Institute as of March 01, 2006.

With the completion of the establishment of the TASAM African Institute, a serious step has been taken in the field of African studies. Our scientific activities in Africa, which has been neglected until now in our country, have had the opportunity to cooperate with people and organizations that carry out similar studies in the international arena as well as in the country, with the launch of this institute.

TASAM Africa Institute has a director, assistant director and researchers. The institute director is also the project manager. Researchers are recruited from those who have completed their doctorate, experts from those who are continuing their doctorate, and assistant experts from those who continue their graduate studies and those who have completed their undergraduate education. In addition, experts and scientists from various African countries will be included in the organization on a regional or country basis.

African Institute Vision Paper

It is out of question for those states to make decisive decisions for their own future as well as to take initiatives to expand the horizons of other states if they regard their custom as unchangeable norms of life, fail to reform them according to the requirements of the age and that are unable to take the necessary steps to gain the ability to follow up the current developments in the world and that are even ineffective.

Today hundreds of research institutions exist that make strategic decisions for the future and follow up all the phases of the evolution underwent by the societies in Asia, America and Africa, continents that completed their development processes in several areas.

Turkey made significant progress in opening up to the world in the last years of the 20th century. It is unfortunate that Africa has been the most neglected among the three large continents by Turkey, and the lack of institutional structures focusing on Africa has always been felt.
It is now time for Turkey, who becomes stronger in the region and declared 2005 as the Year of Africa, to establish institutions that will analyze strategic issues and conduct researches related to the continent.

TASAM Africa Institute is a research center that designs and proposes projects on strategic issues at national as well as international level, makes realistic foresights about the future and makes them remain forever by means of books, reports, journals and commentaries. In so doing, TASAM Africa Institute approaches to the issues in a different style.

TASAM Africa Institute will fill a great gap in its field and light the way for Africa's future with its researches on social, economic, political and cultural issues.

(Chairman of TASAM Süleyman ŞENSOY)