SAIIA at 75

The speech marks the 75th anniversary of SAIIA, reflecting on the evolution of international affairs from state-centric relations to a complex nexus of stakeholders. It argues that think tanks in Africa face unique financial and political constraints but are critical for cultivating an informed electorate and diversifying global knowledge production. The author emphasizes that SAIIA aims to bridge the gap between research and policy to address challenges such as poverty and insecurity.

• The discipline of international affairs has shifted from a primary focus on relationships between states mediated by heads of state and foreign ministries to a more interdisciplinary approach involving the nexus between states and other stakeholders, specifically concerning governance, security, and development.
• Think tanks in Africa operate under more severe human and financial constraints and more adverse political environments than those in the Global North, often suffering from a lack of indigenous funding and insecure revenue streams.
• Dependence on government funding in the African policy environment can compromise the independence of think tanks and their freedom to provide critical analysis.
• African think tanks have a responsibility to challenge the skewed nature of global knowledge production by disseminating African perspectives and nuances in global fora to diversify the content of international debate.
• The primary value of a think tank is not the production of knowledge for its own sake, but its ability to bridge the gap between research and policy to improve policy outcomes and lives.
• SAIIA defines its current role as providing leadership development, nurturing analytical excellence, and making constructive inputs into policy formulation regarding the challenges facing the African region.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2009). SAIIA at 75. https://saiia.org.za/research/saiia-at-75/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. SAIIA at 75. 2009. https://saiia.org.za/research/saiia-at-75/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=SAIIA at 75 |date=16 September 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/saiia-at-75/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2009saiia, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{SAIIA at 75}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/saiia-at-75/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }