ACOEDI 2026 | African Conference on Economic Development and Innovation | 26–29 October 2026 | Johannesburg · View ACOEDI 2026 →
Featured Event
ACOEDI is IfEDI Africa's flagship continental convening platform — bringing together researchers, policymakers, business, development institutions, innovators, practitioners and professionals to exchange knowledge, strengthen practice, build networks and advance inclusive economic development.
A Pan-African Professional Body for Economic Development and Innovation
Advancing the professional capability, recognition, standards and networks of economic development and innovation practitioners across Africa.
Through membership, professional certification, CPD, training, research, policy engagement, advisory support and continental convening, IfEDI Africa supports the professionals, institutions and partnerships needed to convert African knowledge, resources and enterprise into inclusive economic development.
African Professionals. African Standards. African Knowledge. African Innovation. African Prosperity.
Built for African development challenges, African institutions and African opportunities.
IfEDI Africa is a pan-African professional body established to strengthen the professional capability, recognition, standards and networks of economic development and innovation practitioners across Africa. Through membership, professional certification, CPD, training, research, policy engagement, advisory support and continental convening, IfEDI Africa supports the institutions, professionals and partnerships needed to convert African knowledge, resources and enterprise into inclusive economic development.
Membership, certification, CPD, training and professional development for economic development and innovation practitioners.
Join & Get Certified →Research, publications, policy briefs, practice standards and thought leadership advancing evidence-based development practice.
Explore Research →ACOEDI, roundtables, forums, communities of practice and institutional dialogue connecting practitioners across Africa.
Explore ACOEDI 2026 →Advisory support, enterprise development, innovation systems and local economic development support for institutions and practitioners.
Advisory Services →Issue 01 | 2026 Edition · IfEDI Africa
Explore IfEDI Africa's ACOEDI 2026 magazine-style review featuring implementation perspectives, regional learning, illustrative case formats, innovation stories and Atlas-linked development intelligence. Spanning Southern, North, West, Central and East Africa across 36 pages.
IfEDI Africa launches its Wednesday evening dialogue series ahead of ACOEDI 2026. The opening session asks: what human mobility does Africa need to grow intra-African trade?
IfEDI Africa Publications provide a structured platform for African development knowledge, professional insight, academic work, policy ideas, implementation lessons, country opportunities, sector reviews and institutional case studies.
Economic development, innovation and implementation magazine linked to ACOEDI.
Explore Review →Academic papers, abstracts and reviewed conference contributions linked to ACOEDI.
View Proceedings →Research-informed policy and conceptual contributions for African development.
Explore Research Outputs →Programme, conference, partnership and development outcome reports.
View Reports →IfEDI Africa supports governments, municipalities, chambers, development agencies, universities, DFIs, professional bodies and private-sector institutions with applied research, policy support, institutional advisory, LED frameworks, programme design, stakeholder engagement, economic intelligence and implementation support.
Evidence-informed research for economic development, innovation, local development, enterprise ecosystems and institutional performance.
Support for policy development, institutional strengthening, governance frameworks and implementation strategy.
Research, facilitation and advisory support for municipalities, chambers, local institutions and development partners.
Design, review and evaluation of development programmes, enterprise support initiatives, innovation systems and partnership models.
Africa's economic future depends on competent, ethical and innovative development practitioners. IfEDI fills a critical gap by bringing credibility, structure, governance, ethics and professionalisation to a fragmented sector.
To professionalise economic development practice by setting standards, upholding ethics and advancing sustainable growth through certification, training, research and professional recognition.
To be Africa's leading professional body advancing ethical, evidence-based economic development and innovation practice.
At IfEDI, our professional certifications are built on a core-and-specialisation model aligned with international best practice in economic development and innovation.
This approach ensures that every certified practitioner shares a strong professional foundation, while also allowing for specialised expertise aligned to their field of practice.
All IfEDI certifications require completion of a common core curriculum designed to equip practitioners with essential cross-cutting competencies required in modern economic development practice. These core modules ensure that all members:
Core Curriculum Focus
The core curriculum focuses on:
This shared foundation strengthens professional credibility, promotes consistency of practice, and enables effective collaboration across sectors and regions.
Beyond the core, practitioners progress into stream-specific elective modules aligned to their certification pathway. These electives allow members to deepen expertise in areas such as:
This structure ensures that IfEDI certifications remain practically relevant, flexible and responsive to Africa's diverse economic development contexts.
By combining a shared professional foundation with targeted specialisation, IfEDI:
Every IfEDI-certified practitioner is therefore equipped not only with technical expertise, but also with the systems thinking and professional judgement required to drive inclusive, sustainable and high-performing local economies.
Built for Africa. Benchmarked Globally. Applied Locally.
Professional Recognition • Skills Development • Ethical Leadership • National Impact
The Institute for Economic Development & Innovation (IfEDI) is South Africa's premier professional body for economic development, institutional reform, and innovation practitioners. Membership gives you the credibility, tools, and opportunities to excel in a fast-evolving development landscape.
Become a nationally recognised practitioner, specialist, strategist or fellow across 19 certification streams including LED, PPPs, ESD, Innovation, Data Science, Climate Resilience, Productivity & Competitiveness, Transport & Logistics Economics, and more.
Your membership and certification can be publicly verified through the IfEDI Member Register.
Access IfEDI's world-class CPD system, accredited courses, masterclasses, webinars, and professional development pathways aligned to NQF Levels 5–10.
Progress your career from:
Student → Technician → Practitioner → Specialist → Strategist → Fellow
Connect with:
Collaborate on projects, research, training, and economic development initiatives.
Showcase your expertise and gain national recognition through:
Winners gain visibility, credibility and CPD points.
Members enjoy exclusive access to:
For organisations, municipalities, incubators and agencies:
IfEDI champions ethical leadership, evidence-based practice, and innovation-driven development. Members commit to the IfEDI Code of Ethics, CEDEL leadership values, and continuous learning.
For LED officers, planners, economists and consultants
For innovators, tech-transfer officers and R&D managers
For PPP analysts and infrastructure planners
For incubation managers and ESD practitioners
Executive development for economic development leaders
Ongoing professional development workshops
