About PESA

PESA is an independent think-tank promoting regional integration in SADC and providing research on the political economy of development in Africa.

PESA’s central activities are political economy research and analysis, regional integration monitoring and promotion, and dialogue facilitation on relevant political economy issues.

PESA undertakes research and analysis on a commissioned basis in collaboration with external funders and partners, or as internal thought leadership and publishing. PESA research and analysis is grounded in political economy methods and draws on the internal expertise of our team in Agriculture and Rural Transformation, Minerals and Energy, Manufacturing and Trade, Services and Trade, and Governance and Civic Participation and a number of related fields. Our team consists of qualified experts with strong technical capacity in economic and political science research and analysis. Our team’s experience grounds their understanding of the policy environment and the political will of governments in the SADC region.

Our Focus

PESA’s work is focused in the following areas:

Political Economy: We provide political economy research on each SADC country and a selection of other African countries, which allows us to provide accurate and balanced analysis. We analyse economic growth and government finances; trade and regional integration; and the balance of payments and foreign direct investment (FDI) position for each country.

Regional Integration: We provide thematic research and updates on the status of regional integration and development in SADC. We assess major developments in the region; provide an overview of sectoral and industry opportunities in the region; and evaluate regional policy-making and implementation.

Policy Dialogues: We regularly engage in, or facilitate, public dialogues on economic and other public policy challenges facing SADC countries and the rest of the continent. Our group of experts provide research-based policy solutions to promote regional integration and we contribute to the discourse on African development through documentaries, media engagements and public dialogues.