Centre for Development and Enterprises Great Lakes Wins Atlas Network’s 2024 Africa Liberty Award

Atlas Network is proud to present the 2024 Africa Liberty Award to Centre for Development and Enterprises Great Lakes. The award was accepted by Chairman of the Board Siméon Barumwete at Africa Liberty Forum 2024 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The Africa Liberty Award is part of the “Templeton Freedom Award” prize program sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust—named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. In addition to Africa, the program sponsors awards in Latin America, Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East & North Africa. Its grand prize, the Templeton Freedom Award, is presented annually at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner in New York City. In 2024, the prize program will award $270,000 in grants to high-achieving organizations that make innovative contributions to economic freedom and human progress.

Women make up 70% of the workers in Burundi's agricultural workforce—the country’s largest economic sector—but less than 10% of landowners. This disparity is caused by legal and cultural factors that make it difficult for women to own and inherit land, and it prohibits women from both providing for their families and reaching their full potential to grow the world’s poorest economy. To address this problem and promote equality before the law, Centre For Development and Enterprises Great Lakes carried out their unprecedented “Why Women” policy and public education project. Over the last three years, the organization held critical conversations on roadblocks to the prosperity of girls and women and conducted rigorous, impartial policy analysis that led to historic policy reforms—from recognizing the existence of women in land management to securing their access to inherited land titles. Because of CDE Great Lakes’ ongoing work with the parliament, the supreme court, and other stakeholders, millions of Burundian women and girls now have stronger legal protections for their right to benefit from the land that belongs to them—without discrimination.

This year’s runners-up are Liberty Sparks (Tanzania) and Ethical African Organization (Uganda).

“In some of the world’s poorest countries, the African freedom movement is showing millions of people that economic freedom is the path to upward mobility,” said Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network. “From Burundi to Tanzania and Uganda, freedom champions in the think tank community are making prosperity more attainable than ever before through research projects, media campaigns, policy reforms, and other forms of innovative advocacy. These free-market ‘idea entrepreneurs’ are worthy of Atlas Network’s support, and we are proud to honor local leaders who make a true difference in their communities—despite numerous obstacles and opposition.”