Prof Leonard Wantchekon, founder of the African School of Economics (ASE)
In Africa today, the big question facing policymakers, universities and young people is simple: who will build the continent’s knowledge future? At the 4th ACES Political Economy Summer School in Zanzibar, Professor Leonard Wantchekon — founder of the African School of Economics (ASE) — offered one of the most convincing answers. Moreover, his story shows how a small dream can grow into a continental force for change.
Wantchekon recalled how the idea was born almost 20 years ago when he realised that African voices were missing in global academic debates. “Africa was misrepresented,” he said. “Our universities were mostly teaching factories.” For him, the only solution was to build an institution that would place African scholars at the centre of African development.
From $5,000 to a Pan-African University
His first step was humble — a research centre funded with just $5,000. However, from that tiny effort came a summer school, a network of young researchers, and eventually a master’s programme that produced graduates now working at the World Bank, IMF, NYU, AfDB and top universities around the world.
By 2011, the idea had matured into a whole university. Furthermore, when Princeton University invited him to join their faculty, Wantchekon negotiated not for salary but for support to establish ASE. In 2014, the African School of Economics officially opened its doors in Benin.
Today, ASE has expanded to Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Zanzibar, with students from Africa, Europe, Latin America and the United States. It is now a growing Pan-African knowledge ecosystem.
A Different Kind of African University
Experts say ASE is rewriting the rules of higher education in Africa. Instead of beginning with undergraduate degrees, it started with research-driven master’s programmes. The idea is simple: build a strong research culture first, and let everything else grow from there.
ASE brings together students from mathematics, economics and statistics, encouraging them to learn from one another. The result is a powerful blend of collaboration and academic rigour — a combination that has produced some of Africa’s brightest young scholars.
Expanding into Arts, Sports, Innovation and Science
ASE’s model goes beyond classrooms. The school is launching arts programmes, cultural events, and even a potential Nollywood film studio to strengthen African storytelling. In sports, ASE Athletics — based in Madrid — is training young athletes in data science, communication and economics.
The upcoming Princeton–ASE Research Hub will scale research in economics, biotech, climate change, AI, mathematics and African history. These hubs will spread across Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria and Zanzibar.
A New Model for African Development
Wantchekon’s vision is bold: an Africa where universities produce world-class research, influence public policy, support innovation, and shape future political and scientific leaders.
Through initiatives such as the Growth Advisory Unit and a Pipeline Programme for Governance, ASE hopes to train experts who will enter government with a solid grounding in data, economics, and political economy.
In simple terms, ASE shows that Africans can build world-class institutions — driven by African ideas, African problems, and African solutions. It is not just a school. It is a blueprint for a new African knowledge ecosystem.
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