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.
Our Team
Director
Alexander C. R. Hammond is the Founder and Director 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.
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.
Research and Project Manager
Alexander Jelloian is the Research and Project Manager for the Initiative for African Trade and Prosperity. Prior to joining the IATP, Alexander was an intern in The Heritage Foundation’s Center for International Trade and Economics where he worked on promoting economic and political freedom. Alexander has also interned at Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, California. While there, he worked on projects that aimed to preserve President Reagan’s legacy as a champion for freedom. He joined the IATP as an intern in January of 2022, and has been published in Punch News – Nigeria, The Rational Standard, The Daily Signal, and The New Guard. Alexander is also completing a Master’s of Science in Political Economy of Late Development at the London School of Economics and will be completing the program this December.
Meet Our Advisory Council
CEO of IMANI
“The AfCFTA is poised to become the largest free trade area globally; connecting 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with an estimated combined GDP valued at US$3.4 trillion. However, we need to be vigilant by constantly urging the right policies and regulations that will help realise the dreams of many Africans. IATP has set for it this enormous task at this crucial time. IATP will succeed giving its measured approach to work with those who matter on the continent.”
– Franklin Cudjoe
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Franklin is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, a think tank of global repute dedicated to the promotion of the institutions of a free society across Africa. IMANI has been consistently ranked among the top 5 most influential think tanks in sub- Saharan Africa and among the top 100 worldwide.
In 2010, Franklin was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He was named a fellow of the Africa Leadership Network in 2012, and the only named Think Tank Leader in “Top 50 Africans” List of the respected Africa Report Magazine in 2012. He has consulted the Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on how to make effective use of British aid in Africa, and in 2010 he led the World Bank’s Africa region’s task force. He has also won two John Templeton Foundation awards.
“Across every continent and culture, free trade has helped lift the condition of humankind. It’s the secret sauce that makes rich countries prosper. The Initiative for African Trade & Prosperity means that Africans might at last be able to enjoy free trade with those in Africa and beyond. That makes this one of the most important policy initiatives happening anywhere in the world.”
– Douglas Carswell
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The Initiative for African Trade & Prosperity means that Africans might at last be able to enjoy free trade with those in Africa and beyond. That makes this one of the most important policy initiatives happening anywhere in the world.”
Douglas Carswell is the President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a leading American state think tank.
A Member of Parliament in Britain for twelve years, Douglas was re-elected each time he ran. He co-founded Vote Leave, the official campaign that won the Brexit referendum in Britain, and achieved one of the largest election swings in British political history when he won the Clacton by-election. A non-executive director at the Department of International Trade, Douglas believes in free trade, liberty and limited government. The author of four books, Douglas sits on the Advisory Council of the Institute of Economic Affairs in London.
Douglas grew up in Kampala, Uganda, a country he once called home. He read history at the University of East Anglia and at King’s College, University of London. Married to Clementine, he enjoys tennis and gardening.
CEO of Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Director of African Programs at SFL
“With the African Continental Free Trade Area in action, Africa’s reputation as the “poor continent” shall be a thing of the past, with millions lifted out of abject poverty due to opportunities presented for economic empowerment. In order for the AfCFTA not to join the list of international policies never implemented in the continent, Africans must understand the mechanisms and value of free trade.
The IATP seeks to fill the existing gap, by sharing key information regards free markets and how to make Africa’s novel common market work.”
-Linda Kavuka
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Linda is an International Development Consultant, International Trade Lawyer and Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. She is a Frederic Bastiat Fellow at the Mercatus Center, George Mason University, a Smith Fellow at Atlas Network and serves as the Director of African Programs at Students For Liberty Inc. Linda is an avid writer and has contributed her views on trade, free markets, property rights, law, leadership, human freedom and women’s rights published by various international media.
Linda holds a Masters in International Trade Law (LLM) from the University of Aberdeen, Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and a Bachelors of Law (LLB) from the University of Nairobi. She is also an alumnus of the Atlas Network’s Think Tank MBA class of 2018.
“With the recent implementation of the AfCFTA, there has never been a more important time in Africa’s history to make the case for free markets. By working with local actors to help spread the message of the benefits of free trade, the IATP’s work is of crucial importance in helping shape the future economic landscape of the continent for the better.”
– Marian L. Tupy
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By working with local actors to help spread the message of the benefits of free trade, the IATP’s work is of crucial importance in helping shape the future economic landscape of the continent for the better.”
Marian Tupy is the editor of HumanProgress.org, a senior fellow in the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity at the Cato Institute, and co-author of The Simon Project. He specializes in global well‐being, the political economy of Southern Africa and Europe, and globalization.
Marian is the co-author of the recent book, Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know: And Many Others You Will Find Interesting. His articles have been published in the Financial Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Newsweek, the U.K. Spectator, and various other outlets both in the United States and Africa. He has appeared on BBC, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News, and other channels.
Marian was raised in South Africa, received his BA in international relations and classics from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and his PhD in international relations from the University of St. Andrews in Great Britain.
Editor of HumanProgress.org
“Free trade involves peoples prospering through peaceful co-operation and exchange. The promotion of free trade is a noble aim, and it is important that the IATP succeeds in its mission.”
– Philip Booth
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Philip Booth is Professor of Finance, Public Policy and Ethics at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. He has previously been Dean of Faculty and Director of Research at the University as well as Academic and Research Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs and Director of the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham. Philip has worked for Cass Business School, the Bank of England and Axa Equity and Law. He has published widely on financial regulation, social insurance and Catholic social teaching. https://twitter.com/cststmarys
Professor of Finance and Public Policy, St. Mary’s University, Twickenham
Deputy Director at the Free Market Foundation
“The Initiative for African Trade & Prosperity can serve as precisely the kind of focused platform that will push for more trade-, innovation- and growth-friendly trade policies across the continent. The increased trade of goods and services across borders can lift millions of Africans out of poverty, and the IATP will, through its research, analysis and commentary provide the tools required by governments and policy makers to place the continent on an investment-focused and increased job-creation trajectory.”
-Chris Hattingh
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Chris Hattingh is Deputy Director at the Free Market Foundation and a Senior Fellow at African Liberty. Chris has an MPhil Business Ethics from Stellenbosch University.
His research publications and articles have featured on platforms and in publications such as the Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance, the Foundation for Economic Education, Business Day, The Witness, City Press, BusinessBrief, Maroela Media, Rapport, African Liberty, Daily Friend, and BizNews. He has been interviewed on various topics, including trade, inequality, individual liberty, etc., on amongst others Salaamedia, SAfm, ClassicFM, eNCA, kykNet, and ManPatria.
“The next two decades are crucial to the economic survival of the continent in the twenty-first century. How well African countries manage problems like climate change, migration, and population surge will largely depend on the nature of their economic policies. The creation of the IATP comes at an important time for Africa’s policy-makers.”
– Ibrahim Anoba
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Ibrahim Anoba is a fellow of the Center for African Prosperity (CAP) at the Atlas Network. He is also managing editor at the freedom advocacy media outlet, African Liberty. His academic background is in political science and the history of Africa and the African diaspora. He works with Atlas’ Africa partner think tanks through the CAP to identify channels of collaboration in programs and research.
Ibrahim is from Lagos, Nigeria, and lives in Northeast Maryland.
Editor of AfricanLiberty.Org
President of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business
“With free trade under strain elsewhere in parts of the world, the seeds planted in Africa – fertilized by the energy of a new generation – are coming to fruition.
As President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business, I am honored to serve on the IATP Advisory Council and help them in their important work in assisting local think tanks to promote the message of free trade across the continent.“
– Garreth Bloor
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As President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business, I am honored to serve on the IATP Advisory Council and help them in their important work in assisting local think tanks to promote the message of free trade across the continent.“
Garreth Bloor is President of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Business and co-founder of the Africa Foresight Fund in 2020. He previously served as Managing Director of Glenheim Venture Capital, which he set up in 2016 as a joint venture with the South African-based OutsourcedCFO.
As President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business, he has led trade and investment engagements across Canada and on the African continent, which have included Prime Ministers, leading CEOs, Cabinet Members, and entrepreneurs on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to major corporate members, several governments have joined the Chamber during his tenure, including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe – represented by their High Commissions or Embassies. Bloor was an invitee to the African Continental Free Trade Agreement discussions during the Extraordinary Summit in Niger in 2019 and 2021.
Formerly, Bloor was an executive politician heading economic development in the City of Cape Town – elected at age 23 – and was elected to Parliament at age 26. After his graduate studies he served as a member of the University of Cape Town’s Council from 2011 to 2016 and its University Research Committee.
In 2008 he received a Culture of Enterprise Award from former US Attorney General Edwin Meese III for his research into “enterprise and a humane economy”. The Cape Town Press Club awarded him its Graduate Bursary Award in 2010, recognising “over 500 articles published locally and abroad with contributions to over a dozen publications undertaken”. St Gallen University in Switzerland named Garreth one of the Top 100 global Leaders of Tomorrow in May 2014 and in 2016 he was named a Leader of Today.
Bloor is also a member of the Mont Pelerin Society and is an ongoing contributor to The Library of Economics and Liberty and Law & Liberty.
Linda Whetstone was the Chairman of the Network for a Free Society, British Dressage, Mont Pelerin Society, and chair of the Atlas Network. She was also on the board of the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Islam and Liberty Network.
The IATP worked closely with Linda since its founding in May 2021, until her passing in December 2021. The IATP remains incredibly grateful for all the advice, support, and assistance she provided us. Without her, the IATP would not be where it is today.
Former Chairman of Network for a Free Society