The African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research is a leader in the study of inequality in Africa.
Mission
To produce excellent and innovative policy-relevant research using data.
Vision
To lead African research in overcoming inequality and poverty.
Africa's inequality landscape is complex, often masked by unreliable and non-comparable data across time and countries. Nevertheless, careful analysis reveals that African inequality, measured in monetary terms, is exceptionally high, making it the most unequal continent.
But the magnitude, changes, and nuances of African inequality vary. Seven of the world's ten most unequal countries are in Africa – most of these are concentrated in southern Africa. As the continent's population is projected to increase significantly in the coming decades, understanding Africa’s inequality dynamics is crucial for addressing global inequality.
ACEIR aims to explore policies and strategies to overcome African inequality through analytical, empirical, and data-driven research. Its comprehensive approach focuses not only on poverty and inequality but also on understanding the dynamics of the entire economy and society. This entails analysing the livelihoods and conditions of the poor, the middle classes, and the top-end elites, as well as the relationships between these groups.
The Centre places African scholars at the forefront of the inequality research and nurtures the growth of young and emerging African researchers in this field. By bringing together renowned African academics from partner universities, the ACEIR team has a strong track record of data scholarship; research and data capacity development; and strong connections with national statistical offices, ministries of finance, and international research centres of excellence and development agencies.
ACEIR is hosted by the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on behalf of the African Research Universities Alliance. ACEIR partner universities are located in western, eastern and southern Africa.