OLAM Africa Research Institute

Advancing research and policy on migration, Climate resilience and technological governance across Africa

OLAM Africa__Connecting evidence, policy, and people across Africa

OLAM Africa Research Institute is an Africa-rooted think tank advancing evidence on migration, climate resilience, and technological governance. Our work brings together researchers, policymakers, communities, and practitioners to co-create solutions grounded in African realities. Through research, dialogue, and strategic engagement, OLAM Africa is committed to shaping policy that reflects the continent’s evolving needs.

Our Programmes

Routes, Rights & Realities

Our work analyses how digital systems influence authority, information flows, and decision making. Artificial intelligence, digital identity, and data infrastructures are transforming institutions and daily interactions. We consider how technology reorganises public services, shapes political behaviour, alters economic opportunity, and creates new forms of risk and responsibility in connected societies.

Climate Systems Africa

Our work examines how climate change intensifies pressures on food security, health, land, water, and livelihoods. Rising temperatures, floods, droughts, and environmental decline alter how communities live and move. Adaptation remains uneven due to weak institutions, limited finance, and inequality. These conditions determine who is protected, who is exposed, and how societies withstand climate stress.

The TechFront

Our work analyses how digital systems influence authority, information flows, and decision making. Artificial intelligence, digital identity, and data infrastructures are transforming institutions and daily interactions. We consider how technology reorganises public services, shapes political behaviour, alters economic opportunity, and creates new forms of risk and responsibility in connected societies.

Our Approach

At OLAM Africa Research Institute, our approach blends collaboration, grounded analysis, and systems thinking to generate evidence that is practical, inclusive, and deeply rooted in African realities. We connect people, policies, and data to build knowledge that drives meaningful governance solutions.
Collaborative Research

We work alongside policymakers, researchers, and communities to co-create evidence shaped by real-world experiences.

Grounded Insight

Our analysis begins with people and place, ensuring every finding is rooted in African contexts, cultures, and lived realities.

Systems Thinking

We examine how migration, climate, and technology systems interact — revealing patterns that guide smarter governance.

Our Principles

Integrated Evidence

We connect insights across migration, climate, and technology systems to build an integrated evidence base that reflects Africa’s realities. OLAM transforms fragmented data into coherent intelligence that supports joined-up governance and policy design.

Knowledge Equity

We advance fairness in how knowledge is produced, owned, and applied — ensuring African evidence guides African decisions and shapes global conversations with authenticity and agency.

Knowledge in Action

We translate research into impact — turning grounded analysis into policies, partnerships, and solutions that strengthen governance, resilience, and dignity across the continent.

Our take on what matters beyond the headlines!
Our opinion pieces interrogate emerging trends, expose blind spots, and offer fresh pathways for governing mobility, climate systems, and digital technologies with justice and clarity.