Our Work
ATFL’s work is organized around focused Missions—long-term commitments to tackling complex, high-stakes global challenges where African leadership is essential: energy, climate, AI and digital tech, and cultivating African expert voices.
Our primary audience are the influential intermediaries that shape final policy and investment decisions across Africa, including policy advisors, think tanks, advocacy groups, development funders, and philanthropies.
We equip these actors with the tools they need to craft effective strategies across our four Missions:
Energy futures
Supporting African efforts to leverage new energy technologies to meet development goals and shape a more inclusive global energy transition.
Climate futures
Positioning African countries to navigate climate risk and shape the development and governance of emerging climate solutions.
AI & digital futures
Equipping African leaders, institutions, and publics to engage strategically with AI and digital transformation to build just, prosperous societies.
African voices
Cultivating a vibrant ecosystem of African thinkers and leaders to shape and drive African-centered agendas.
We advance our missions through flagship projects that draw on the following core activities—delivered by a curated mix of fellows and rotating expert teams:
Expert Working Groups
We convene top African and global experts to explore key issues and identify high impact solutions to major questions for technology and society.
Rapid Cycle Analysis
We create rigorous, timely analysis combining deep scientific understanding with practical policy guidance.
Strategic Comms
We distill complex analysis into actionable insights and recommendations that equip policymakers, funders, and practitioners to make informed decisions.
Incubating Solutions
We pilot promising ideas generated from our work through strategic partnerships with existing organisations.
Piloting new workstreams
In 2025–26, ATFL will launch a series of high-impact pilots across our Mission areas. These include strategies for navigating climate risk and intervention, unpacking the opportunities and risks of AI for African development, and closing critical evidence gaps in electric mobility and other energy transition technologies.
These early projects reflect our model in action: combining rigorous analysis, African expertise, and strategic engagement to inform smart decisions and drive practical solutions.