The Public Economics Program
The economics of the public sphere — taxes, budgets, money, trade, and institutions — built for Africa. Free, open, and rigorous enough to rival anyone's.
A complete, self-paced curriculum in public economics: the depth of a top master's programme, grounded in African markets and the structural realities that make them behave differently from the textbook. Five core courses build the foundation; six areas of specialization take you to the frontier of policy. The AI tutor sits in every module.
5
Core courses
6
Specializations
49
Courses
498
Modules
By the end, you can
- ✓Build policy on microeconomics, statistics, and causal evidence — not vibes
- ✓Design taxes and budgets that are efficient, fair, and actually administrable
- ✓Read central-bank, debt, and exchange-rate decisions the way an insider does
- ✓Evaluate whether a policy worked, with the right method for the question
- ✓Analyse reform through institutions and political economy, not just spreadsheets
- ✓Form and defend your own view on any African policy question
Core Courses
The foundation every public economist needs.
Five courses, taken in any order. Master these and the specializations open up.
Core 01
Microeconomics for African Markets
Intermediate · 8 modules
Open course →Core 02
Econometrics from First Principles
Intermediate · 12 modules
Open course →Core 03
Public Finance & Taxation
Intermediate · 9 modules
Open course →Core 04
Development Economics
Intermediate · 8 modules
Open course →Core 05
Political Economy & Institutions
Intermediate · 8 modules
Open course →Areas of Specialization
Six routes to the frontier.
Go deep where it matters for your work. Each area is a coherent sequence — take the whole thing or pick the courses you need.
Area 01
Data & Methods for Policy
Turn data into defensible causal claims — econometrics, the analyst's tools, impact evaluation, and honest measurement.
Intermediate · 12 modules
Econometrics from First Principles
Intermediate · 12 modules
Stata for Economists
Beginner · 12 modules
R for Applied Researchers
Mixed · 10 modules
Data Visualization & Storytelling
Advanced · 8 modules
Impact Evaluation & Randomised Trials
Intermediate · 8 modules
Survey Data, Measurement & Indicators
Area 02
Public Finance & Taxation
What governments do, how they pay for it, and who really bears the burden — tax, budgets, and project appraisal.
Area 03
Macroeconomics & Monetary Policy
Central banking, sovereign debt, and the open economy — read from inside the constraints African policymakers actually face.
Area 04
Development & Human Capital
Why some economies grow and others don't, and how households actually decide — development economics, behaviour, and climate.
Area 05
Trade, Industry & Integration
The external sector and structural transformation — trade policy, the AfCFTA, and the industrial policy that shapes what a country makes.
Area 06
Political Economy & Governance
Why good economics wins or loses in the real world of power — institutions, public choice, corruption, and state capacity.
Beyond the Classroom
The programme is more than its reading.
Mwalimu — your AI tutor
A subject-matter tutor embedded in every module: ask a question, get a worked answer grounded in what you're reading.
Browse the classroom →Capstone — the policy brief
Put the whole toolkit to work: take a live African policy question and write the brief a minister would actually read.
Pitch a brief →Skills tests & certificates
Verify what you've learned with graded skills tests and shareable, verifiable certificates.
Take a skills test →The Economics Olympiad
Test yourself against peers across the country in a timed, calibrated exam — the programme's competitive arena.
Enter the Olympiad →The Hub & the Podcast
Working analysis and conversations with people who do this for a living — our standing speaker series and review.
Read the Hub →Start where you are. Go as far as you want.
Every course is free and self-paced. There is no admissions process — only the work.