IMANI

IMANI (Centre for Policy and Education) is a Ghanaian think tank set up in 2004 which is

This article is part of the Spinwatch public health oriented Alcohol Portal project.

“dedicated to educating society on the benefits of a free economy and fostering public awareness of important policy issues concerning business, government and civil society” . The group claims to be part of an international network of right leaning free market think tanks which includes Instituto Bruno Leoni, the Heritage Foundation, International Policy Network, Initiative for Public Policy Analysis, Nigeria, Atlas Economic Research Foundation . This group is working with alcohol producers to develop national alcohol strategies. and Evans is regarded as a consultant on alcohol control policies, the alcohol industry are developing and funding alcohol control polices which are ineffective at best, and deeply cynical at worst. Even if public health campaigners do succeed in achieving a global strategy to tackle alcohol related harm the industry are already deeply entrenched within many emerging economies and developing countries. This amplifies the problem and undermines genuine efforts to improve and protect public health; paradoxically this gives the industry the position of concerned policy partner further contributing to their sense of corporate social responsibility.

Draft Policy on Alcohol for Ghana

In 2008 IMANI brought together 102 delegates to discuss a draft policy on alcohol for Ghana which like many African nations has no policy on alcohol. Keith R. Evans of the American based International Center for Alcohol Policies, an organisation that lobbies governments and produces research totally funded and controlled by the major alcohol producers, chaired the sessions. Evans has been meeting with African governments with a draft alcohol policy document designed by big alcohol. The alcohol industry sends individuals like Evans to direct alcohol control polices in their favour. Evans was joined by Mitch Ramsay policy advisor to SABMiller and Damon Ansell of Diageo to support the initiative.

Affiliations

• Sustainable Development Network

Honours

According to their website IMANI claim their "honours" include:

• A letter from Hilary Benn in 2006 when he was U.K Secretary of State for International Development. Their website prints part of the letter

"Earlier this year, during the consultation process for our new White Paper, you wrote to us with your thoughts about the future direction and priorities for UK development policy…..The submissions helped to inspire new ideas, provided us with useful case material to draw upon, and communicated the breadth of issues that are important to you…".

• Another "honour" for the group was in 2005 when IMANI director Frank Cudjoe was invited to speak at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on global health initiatives.

• In 2008 IMANI won funding from the Antony & Dorian Fisher Venture Grants awarded by Atlas Economic Research Foundation. Nine think tanks out of one-hundred and eighty applicants were selected to receive $100,000 over three years.

• In 2009 Imami became the only African think tank to have been awarded the John Templeton Freedom Prize twice for Advancing Freedom. A judge on the Templeton Prize awarded to IMANI commented, "I give them [IMANI] the highest points for being most specific and rigorous in applying free-market solutions to an array of complex social problems."

People

• Franklin Cudjoe Executive Director
• Bright B. Simons Development Director/ Research Fellow
• Sandra Birago Duah Administrator
• Mavis Mawudeku Administrative Assistant

Fellows

• Kofi Bentil, Senior Fellow- Lecturer & Consultant, Business Strategy
• Joe Debrah, Esq. Managing Partner, 1st Law Chambers, Accra
• Edwin Provencal, CEO, Exzeed Ghana, a subsidiary of Vodafone Ghana
• June Arunga, Esq. Communications Director, BSL
• Ato Conduah, Management Consultant, Ato Conduah & Associates
• Adedayo Thomas, Coordinator & Publisher, AfricanLiberty.org, Nigerian Initiatives

Advisory Board

• Sam Poku, Chairman, CEO West Africa Business Association (Ghana).
• Dr. Ardakwah Antwi, Former Lecturer, Wolverhampton University, Former State Lands Advisor to Ghana and Sudan
• Dr. Daniel Seddoh, General Manager, Finance Enterprise Insurance Company
• Linda Whetstone, Chair International Policy Network, United Kingdom
• Dr. Tom Palmer, President, Global Prosperity Initiative Project, Atlas Economic Research Foundation, United States
• Nick Slepko, Ernst & Young, Ukraine