African Center for Economic Transformation

The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) is an influential, pan-African "think-and-do" tank established in 2008 to champion long-term economic development across the continent. Headquartered in Accra, Ghana, with a supporting office in Washington, D.C., ACET was founded by Dr. K.Y. Amoako, a former UN Under-Secretary-General, with a clear vision: to provide "African solutions to African challenges". Unlike traditional institutes that focus strictly on raw gross domestic product (GDP) growth, ACET explicitly advocates for structural transformation. The center directly advises African governments—including Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone—on critical legislative reforms, export diversification, and attracting sustainable foreign direct investment (FDI).

Central to the organization’s work is its signature "Growth with DEPTH" framework, which measures economic progress using five pillars: Diversification, Export competitiveness, Productivity increases, Technology upgrading, and Human well-being. ACET tracks these metrics across dozens of nations through its flagship African Transformation Index (ATI) to help policy-makers identify systemic vulnerabilities and navigate global macroeconomic shocks. Through modern pan-African programs like the ACET Youth Policy Lab and its specialized policy briefs on artificial intelligence and green industrialization, the center effectively shapes global fiscal dialogue and fosters the next generation of African research leaders.