The IMANI Centre for Policy and Education in Accra has been nominated as a first class recipient of the Dorian & Anthony Fisher Venture Grant.

A statement issued in Accra said more than 180 Think Tanks competed for the grant in the programme, but only nine were selected to receive up to US$100,000 from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation.

Founded in the United States of America in 1981, the Atlas Economic Research Foundation develops and strengthens a world wide network to independent think thanks.

The Fisher Venture Grant Programme honours the memory of Atlas' late founders; Sir Anthony Fisher and his wife Dorian.

The couple established the Atlas Economic Research Foundation because they believed that investment in emerging Think Tanks could be extremely cost-effective, especially when complemented with mentoring to further improve those Think Thanks' prospect for long term success.

These selected Think Tanks will receive up to $100,000 from Atlas over the next three years. Receiving the grant, Founding Director of Imani Center for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe said "receiving the grant is another great vindication of the important work Imani began three years ago".

He added that Imani was determined to see that public policy debate in the country and West Africa involves students who are informed by principled, non-partisan viewpoints.

Atlas established the fisher venture grants program in January 2008 to recognize and assist Think Tank groups that represent "great investment" for the future.

Grantees are younger Institutes with a track record that suggests a strong potential for improving the climate of ideas among audience. Alejandro A. Chafuen, President and CEO remarked that independent Think Thank plays a crucial role in ensuring that public policy debates are not dominated by government insiders.

He sited an example of the Cathay Institute in China, which is playing an important role by educating people about the virtues of limiting government to enable individual's initiative and free enterprise to flourish.