AfriMAP and the Open Society Institute

AfriMAP was established in 2004 as a project of the Open Society Institute's network of African foundations. The Open Society Institute, a private operating and grant-making foundation, aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform.

OSI was created in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros to support his foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and the emerging network in Africa. The Soros foundations network today encompasses more than 60 countries, and includes the Open Society Foundation for South Africa, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and the Open Society Initiative for East Africa (OSIEA). AfriMAP is based at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) in Johannesburg, South Africa.