Official partner
of UNESCO -
associate status



With the support of:
UNESCO
African Union
Culturelink
Ford Foundation
Agency of International Cooperation for Development
Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development
TrustAfrica
International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF)

Welcome to the OCPA Home Page

OCPA, the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa, is an independent pan-African non-governmental organisation aiming to enhance the development of national cultural policies in the region and their integration in human development strategies through advocacy and promoting information exchange, research, capacity building and cooperation at the regional and international level.

OCPA has set up its World Wide Web resource centre at www.ocpanet.org, offering access to a wide range of African cultural information.

OCPA Recognized as Official Partner of UNESCO
(Associate Status)

After being admitted to the consultative status in 2011, OCPA was reclassified into the associate status with UNESCO at the 191st session of the Executive Board, held in April 2013. This status is the official recognition of a continuous and substantial co-operation developed between UNESCO and OCPA for the implementation of their shared objectives since the creation of the Observatory.  » 

Directory of African Cultural Administration Training Centres

The data collected on 70 African institutions and programmes is now accessible on line.  » 

Compendium of Reference Documents for Cultural Policies in Africa  » 

OCPA News Published

Issue no. 424, January 2023 of the newsletter OCPA News has been published and may be downloaded.

OCPA Newsletter Subscription

To be included in the distribution list and receive each new issue of the newsletter automatically in your mailbox, please subscribe to the OCPA News Mailing List.

OCPA, 15 years already!

Yes, the year 2020 is indeed the year of the 15th anniversary of the legal birth of the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa.  » 

Call for Cooperation

Are you planning meetings, research activities or publications of interest to the users of the OCPA web site?

Do you have information about innovative projects in the field of cultural policies and cultural development in Africa?

Do you know of links and addresses that should be included in the OCPA web site or its distribution list?

Please send information and documents for inclusion in the OCPA web site and the monthly newsletter OCPA News!