The institute works with policy makers, scholars, private and public institutions and interest groups in Africa to design, execute, and disseminate research and analyses that illuminate public policy issues affecting Africa , and to build a network of individuals and organisations that generate and use policy analyses results.

The core mission of AIAS is to catalyze and produce pioneering social science research and shape public policy by integrating knowledge and methods across the social science disciplines. Since the organization's inception in 2002 a large amount of efforts and resources have been channeled toward the research programme. Since its founding, the institute has made remarkable progress.

A performance review at the end of 2006 found that the AIAS had, despite starting out without forward funding, delivered a wide array of valued products and services and grown in stature to have partners in Zimbabwe, SADC, Africa and the global South. The organisation has also managed to transform the credibility of its founder into organisational credibility.