Rethinking Economic Futures for Africa

Building economic thinking that works from African realities outward

Across Africa, policies, institutions, and development programmes often fail not because people lack capacity, but because the systems themselves are misaligned with lived realities.

REFA exists to investigate that misalignment, and to redesign institutions so that they work from the inside out, grounded in how economies, communities, and knowledge systems actually function.

What we do

REFA operates as a connected system that links research, institutions, and real-world change.

We Research Systems

We generate rigorous, interdisciplinary research grounded in African economic, social, and institutional realities.

We Build Networks

We convene scholars, practitioners, and institutions across regions to work collaboratively on shared structural problems.

We Translate Knowledge

We ensure research does not stop at publication, but informs policy, practice, and institutional redesign.

We Test Change

Through the REFA Project, we pilot interventions and feed learning back into research and policy cycles.

OUR PARTNERS

Dr. Ruth Badru, Convenor and Founder

Prof. Omowumi Idowu, Co-Convenor and Host Institution Partner

Mr Oluwasola Omoju, Co-Convenor and Policy Partner

SUPPORTING RESEARCH TRANSLATION

REFA is committed to ensuring that research does not end at the stage of analysis, but is translated into meaningful institutional and community change.

If you would like to support this work, you can contribute to the REFA Project, which enables pilot interventions, community engagement, and applied learning. You can also learn more about how the REFA Project operates here.

Support the REFA Project