ACDESS is a continental policy-oriented research and development studies center. Its activities and programs are interdisciplinary and interrelated, providing wide-ranging challenges and opportunities for collaboration with private and public sectors, NGOs, and civil bodies together with regional and international organizations and professional bodies. ACDESS was established to fill a void in strategic thinking and develop the foundations for proactive political practice in Africa. Based on thorough research and a wide scope of debate, it also attempts to exercise a forceful advocacy role for Africa's peoples and their lands. At a time when power constellations are undergoing monumental shifts and redefinition around the world, it is imperative to present Africa's aspirations and its particular perspective with depth and eloquence. ACDESS is multidisciplinary and holistic in its research approach and strategic concepts. This applies both to interdisciplinary collaborations among historians; social, information, and natural scientists; the legal profession; and economists as well as to the unique link between the research and policy-making communities that ACDESS provides. Research results can therefore be brought more quickly and effectively to those shaping and determining policies than if such results remained within the academic realm. ACDESS is thus both science- and application-oriented.