TUKA INSTITUTE

WHAT WE STAND FOR

CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT

Governments have traditionally played a central role in deploying development policies and administering aid along with multilateral agencies in Francophone West Africa. However, an empowered and educated population is far more effective at coming up with solutions that solve local problems than when solutions are pushed from the top. TUKA believes in a bottom-up approach to development focused on nurturing an environment that provides opportunities for citizens to participate in the formal economy.

FREE TRADE WITHIN AFRICA

We believe Free trade within the continent will drive innovation, create new industries and diversify our economies. Francophone West African countries have been reliant on commodities to fuel their economies for the past decades. Furthermore, the population tends to import transformed commodities at a higher price, deteriorating the terms of trade. Promoting free trade, prioritizing self sufficiency and regional trade will instigate opportunities for local transformation. Local transformation will put African economies in a position to influence the price of their transformed commodities. TUKA aims to recommend solutions fostering free trade in Africa.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

We believe government accountability increases citizen participation in the development process.  Information plays a key role in making sure that citizens are knowledgeable of governments actions and that their policies align with the development goals often publicized but sometimes not acted on. At TUKA, we aim to inform the public on the intent and results of government policies  through our research.