About Us - Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity

Our Mission

The future of African trade is at a crossroads. With the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area on January 1st, 2021, African states have an opportunity to break free from the shackles of economic nationalism that have plagued large swathes of the continent for centuries. The benefits of African free trade are numerous, however, as are the challenges.

Our mission is to champion free market policies by supporting those in Africa who are best positioned to make a change. The Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity (IATP) is guided by the core belief that bottom-up free market policies are the most effective way to alleviate poverty, amplify individual liberty, and create a more peaceful future.

As a project of the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Vinson Centre for the Public Understanding of Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of Buckingham, the IATP partners with a plethora of think tanks, universities, and local actors to help make their voices that push for greater freedom more effective and louder.

By no means does the IATP impose its beliefs on others. Rather, we work with and serve local actors interested in discovering more and creating outputs that champion classical economics and greater free trade, which in turn, means greater prosperity for all.

The IATP was created thanks to the generous support of the Atlas Network and we are grateful to the Rising Tide Foundation for their generous and continued support.

To keep up work our work, follow us on Twitter @the_iatp and visit our Facebook page.

Our Partners

We are proud to work with many organisations across Africa and are excited to work with many more in the future.

IATP Fellows

Aimable Manirakiza
Centre for Development and Enterprise – Great Lakes

Our Team

Alexander C. R. Hammond is the Founder of the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity, a Free Trade Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, and a Research Associate at the Vinson Centre for the Public Understanding of Economics. He is also a Senior Fellow at African Liberty and a Fellow at EPICENTER. Formerly, Alexander worked in Washington D.C. as a Research Associate in the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity and a Foreign Policy Fellow at Young Voices.

Alexander often writes about African trade and development, economic freedom and global wellbeing. His works have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have been featured in The Washington Times, Reason Magazine, New24, The National Interest, The Washington Examiner, CityAM, Newsweek, Business Insider SSA, the Cato Institute website, the HumanProgress blog, and various other outlets across the world. He is also the author of HumanProgress.org’s Heroes of Progress column.

Harrison Griffiths is Head of Partnerships at the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity and serves as the International Programmes Manager at the IATP, supporting projects across our nine member organisations. He is also International Programmes Manager at the Institute of Economic Affairs, where he leads the international translations programme and manages over one hundred of the IEA’s international partnerships. He worked in the IEA’s communications team for two years from August 2022 to August 2024.

Before joining the IEA, Harrison graduated from the University of Exeter in 2021 studying politics, before getting his MA in American History and Politics from University College London. He was previously a public affairs intern at a trade organisation and a delivery driver. Harrison has written and spoken about a wide range of topics including freedom of speech, civil liberties, US & UK politics, immigration, industrial policy, and housing. Outside of work, Harrison is an avid follower of football, Formula One, cycling, and American football. He is also (slowly) learning to speak Serbian.

Jack Confrey is an IATP Advisor. He specialises in forging impactful collaborations with think tanks, universities, and both local and international stakeholders to amplify pro-free trade advocacy across the African continent. He spearheads programs that actively engage students, educators, and thought leaders in the discourse surrounding free market policies, making a significant contribution to the dialogue on the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Jack also serves the Institute of Economic Affairs as International Programmes Manager. Jack is instrumental in amplifying the IEA’s global footprint. He is responsible for cultivating and managing strategic partnerships with a diverse array of institutions across the world. Additionally, Jack oversees the IEA’s international translations programme, aimed at empowering individuals and organisations advocating for economic freedom through the utilisation of IEA resources.