The African Population and Health Research Center is a Nairobi, Kenya-based think tank that advocates for increased use of birth control and legalized abortion in Africa.
The organization began its life as an offshoot of the population control advocacy organization Population Council in Nairobi, Kenya. Among the organization’s central goals is promoting “a deeper understanding of sustainable population growth.” The organization’s research program is geared toward girls as young as 10 years old. 1
Overview
The African Population and Health Research Center is a Nairobi, Kenya-based think tank that researches issues related to aging, education, health, maternal and child well-being, reproductive health, and urbanization. 2
A major focus of the organization is the promotion of birth control and legalized abortion in Africa. The organization’s research program focuses on the sexual health and access to abortion and birth control for those aged 10-14 years old. It is geared towards the promoting “a deeper understanding of sustainable population growth.” 3
The organization began life as an offshoot of the Kenyan population control advocacy organization Population Council in 1995. The man who would build the organization into an independent think tank, Alex Ezeh, joined the Population Council in 1998 and spun off the African Population and Health Research Center into its own independent organization in 2001. 4
By 2017, the organization had an annual budget of $13 million. It had supported at least 370 African Ph.D. candidates to teach modern research techniques and help them defend their research independently. 4
In 2021, the organization celebrated the decision of President Joe Biden to end a rule banning U.S. government funding for organizations that provided abortion services. The organization demanded that more money towards abortion programs to “undo what has been done over the past four years.” 5
In March 2021, the organization and the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute announced a partnership to promote the expansion of birth control and abortion in sub-Saharan Africa. 6
In March 2022, the think tank announced that it had received a $15 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The grant had no strings attached and would be used by the think tank to expand its research program. 7
Leadership
Alex Ezeh was the long-time executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center. Ezeh joined the organization in 1998 and initially was a senior fellow at the organization’s parent, the Population Council. By 2000, Ezeh had begun the process of separating the two organizations and eventually worked as executive director until his departure in 2017. 4
After leaving the organization, Ezeh penned a pro-population control op-ed in 2018. He urged the international community to bring back population control to ensure Africa has enough resources to provide for all its people. 8
Catherine Kyobutungi is the executive director of the organization. She joined the organization in 2006 and was the director of research before becoming executive director. 9
Finances
Although the African Population and Health Research Center’s headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, the organization is also a registered U.S. charity to allow American donors to deduct their contributions. 4
According to its 2018 tax returns, the organization received $16,400,472 in revenue and had $15,176,393 in expenses. It had $22,325,042 in assets. 10
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
Total Grant Value:$162,079,369
Number of Grants:193
Number of Funders:29
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
Amount
Year
Funder
Subject
$15,000,000
2022
MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott made an unrestricted grant of $15,000,000 to African Population and Health Research Center. Mission: Generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the Africa R&D ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development
To strengthen Africa-led continental platforms to increase the number of African universities and research institutes that capably produce health research as public goods to achieve global health impact
To support development and implementation of a family planning module for data collection in Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Ethiopia.
To strengthen and demonstrate the value of a unified data system across Health and Demographic Surveillance System sites in generating insights about global health challenges.
to deliver a functioning early childhood development data system at the local level that decision-makers can use to achieve better outcomes for young children and their families
To increase the financial management skills and capacities of partner organizations so that they can effectively manage their organizational finances and grant funds and attract funding from other donors.
To strengthen Pandemic Preparedness Response (PPR) capabilities within the East African Community (EAC) which consists of seven (7) countries that have a long history of outbreaks and epidemics. To promote Global Health Security.
to enable Africa-led and owned platforms to increase the numbers of African universities and research institutes that capably produce health research as global public goods to achieve health impact
To better understand the role responsive care and stimulation delivered through a childcare setting has on children's early neurodevelopment and school readiness in low resource settings.
to generate additional evidence of the secondary outcomes and psycho-social mediators of the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief's program on adolescent girls and young women in Kenya
