Our Economics and Flourishing funding program has issued 26 grants in 22 mainly lower and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

A new project, led by Brad Lips, CEO at Atlas Network and co-directed by African affairs analyst Ibrahim Bàbátúndé Anọ́ba, will help draw many of our grantees and other like-minded researchers together to share research results and new-project ideas.  Specifically, Atlas Network plans to undertake two projects.

First, on September 6, 2023, the Atlas Network will host a one-day summit called "Freedom Champions Summit Asia," in conjunction with their Asia Liberty Forum 2023 event, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. TWCF grantees and Atlas Network allies will be invited to participate in the summit, to share their research, build and renew professional relationships from which to collaborate on future research, and pitch for grant support..

Second, Atlas will launch a locally driven, Africa-centered intellectual society named in honor of the great free market Ghanaian economist Dr. George Ayittey. Professor Ayittey championed the idea that “Africa is poor because she is not free.” He called for democratic government, free market economics, debt relief, infrastructure modernization, and free trade to spur development and economic growth.

This new society would support the work of scholars throughout Africa and stimulate new, exciting ideas to increase access to markets and enhance prosperity for over a billion Africans. Atlas plans to selectively award and oversee grants of up to $10,000 each to freedom-focused organizations throughout its Africa network to support their research work before ultimately uniting grantee scholars at an inaugural virtual gathering of the George Ayittey Society. This meeting will, like the Freedom Champions Summit Asia, will enable attendees to share their research, build communities of practice, and identify opportunities for collaboration on new research projects.