How the MEA Institute came to be.

We envision a Middle East and Africa that helps shape the 21st century through intergenerational and cross-regional dialogue. By breaking silos and empowering youth and diverse voices, we aim to transform how strategy is conceived and approached – building sustainable frameworks that innovate, evolve, and remain relevant across generations.

From the beginning, our work has rested on three commitments. We are independent: our research is not commissioned or constrained by any government, political movement, or private donor with an editorial stake in the outcome. We are youth-led: the people producing our analysis are the same generation that will live with its consequences. And we are policy-driven: every publication is written with a decision-maker in mind — whether in a cabinet office, a UN agency, or a civil-society coalition.

Over the years, we have grown from a handful of contributors into six Policy Centres, two regional programmes, and a global volunteer network of more than sixty researchers. Our publications now reach policymakers, academics, and civil-society actors across MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and North America – and through Axis and Arch, our podcast, we bring the same analytical rigour to a wider public conversation.

Our vision for the next decade is straightforward: a global order where intergenerational dialogue, youth empowerment, and sustainable policy frameworks define responses to the challenges facing the Middle East and Africa – and where the next generation of leaders is setting the agenda.