The African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI) 2025 Impact Report reflects on five years of building an evidence base for Africa's wildlife economy – and charts the course for the next five years.

Since becoming fully operational in 2021, AWEI has published over 100 thought-leadership outputs, developed partnerships with more than 30 institutions across Africa and internationally, and expanded its community from a handful of volunteers to over 30 researchers, fellows, associates, and students.

In 2025, AWEI's work spanned global policy forums and local landscapes: from contributing to outcomes at CITES CoP20, Ramsar COP15, and the IUCN World Conservation Congress, to supporting emerging farmers through the SANParks Game Loan Programme and training the next generation of wildlife economy researchers across southern and eastern Africa.

This report documents AWEI's contributions across three pillars – thought leadership, purposeful partnerships, and collaborative learning – at the international, regional, and national levels. It also presents AWEI's updated theory of change and outlines strategic priorities for 2026 to 2030.