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Our History
The Institute of Policy Research and Analysis traces its beginnings to 1999, when a group of leading reformers (among them retired university professors working then for international organisations) founded the Development Policy Research Institute (DEPRI), the first private organization devoted to analysing public policy issues at the national level. Back then, Uganda was undergoing significant socioeconomic reforms, and the need for evidence-based knowledge and applied policy analysis was overwhelming. Charged with implementing the new Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MFPED) sought to create a strategic alliance with non-state actors, including NGOs and experts who would conduct wide consultation with the communities across the country to provide a better understanding of the national priorities and generate evidence to inform the PEAP process.
There was no true independent think-tank at the time, no single source of independent cutting-edge empirical analysis, insights and evidence that would allow informed public decision making. Decades of civil strife and systematic underinvestment in research eroded Uganda’s internal capacity to generate sound advice for public policy and the ability to use this knowledge for policymaking. That seemed like an obvious and important deficiency for what is after all a kin to The Economist’s description of being part of “the hopeless continent”.
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1 May, 2000
On 1 May, 2000, the Institute opened up an office in Kampala.
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16 November, 2001
On 16 November, 2001 the Institute attained NGO status under the Non-Governmental Organisations Registration Statute, 1989, and was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee
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6 February 2002
on 6 February 2002(Certificate No. 51946).With a humble beginning of one full-time staff who doubled as an administrative and research staff, and two volunteers, an old-school Pentium 3 computer, a keyboard, a monitor and a printer), the Institute made its earliest mark in Uganda, producing series of influential research and analysis on a range of policy issues from food security to poverty, trade, investment and tax policies.
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From 2002 till date
A lot has changed since 2000. One thing has not changed at all. The Institute remains devoted to independent, in-depth research that leads to pragmatic and innovative solutions to problems facing African society. We enter our twenty first year with pride as Africa’s leading centre of research in the field of international trade and public finance and with enduring gratitude for our strong relationships with our partners and clients.
We are a leading independent, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to advancing evidence-based policy solutions for sustainable economic development in Africa.
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