Bios for Think Tanks and the Transformation of Africa First African Continental Think Tank Summit...
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Transcript of Bios for Think Tanks and the Transformation of Africa First African Continental Think Tank Summit...
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CONFERENCE PARTICIPANT BIOS
AS OF JANUARY 28, 2014
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The vast majority of participant bios that are included in the Summit Program have been
submitted to us in response to our request to all the participants. Exceptions occur in the cases
where no information was submitted by the pre-Summit deadline. Any profiles lacking current
information were researched in the most thorough way possible and were included based on
information collected from the web and other sources. We apologize in advance to those
participants where the information is incomplete or not current but we did our best to create a
profile from available information so we included in the Program.
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Epiphane Adjovi, Director, Projet de renforcement des capacités en
Conception et Analyse des Politiques de Développement (CAPOD)
Epiphane Adjovi is the Director of the Projet de
renforcement des capacités en Conception et Analyse des
Politiques de Développement (Project for Capacity
Building in Planning and Analysis of Development
Politics) in the Republic of Benin. Mr. Adjovi holds a
postgraduate degree in Economic Policy Management
from the Centre for Studies and Research on
International Development (CERDI) at the University of
Clermont-Ferrand in France. He has previously worked as
Assistant Technical Economic Advisor to the President of
the Republic, Director of Information Processing and
Publications at the National Institute of Statistics and
Economic Analysis (INSAE), and Director-General of the Economy and Technical Advisor to the Minister
of Finance and the Economy.
John Ahere, Senior Programme Officer, African Centre for the
Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) John Ahere is a senior program officer in the Peacemaking Unit at the
African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD)
in South Africa. He is a conflict management practitioner with more
than a decade of experience in conflict mapping and analysis, training,
grassroots community dialogue, negotiation & mediation support,
program development & management, organization development,
and grants management. He has worked on a number of field
engagements, most notably in Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan,
Somalia, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Zimbabwe and South Africa. He is also a researcher with
interest in international politics and its linkage to peace, security and
development. His book The Paradox that is Diplomatic Recognition:
Unpacking the Somaliland Situation was recently published by Anchor
Academic Publishing.
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Alban Ahoure, Ph.D., Acting Director, Cellule d’Analyse de Politiques
Economiques (CAPEC)
Dr. Alban Ahoure is the Acting Director of Cellule d’Analyse de
Politiques Economiques du Cires (CAPEC), where he also works as a
researcher. His specialties include analysis of economic policy,
microeconomics, labor economics and human resources,
mechanisms of incentives in organizations, and project evaluation
and development programs. Dr. Ahoure has worked with the
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies (CIRES)
in economic analysis, contributed to a joint migration research
project between the International Development Research Centre
and CIRES, and taught at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in
Cocody-Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from
the Graduate School of Economics at Kobe University, Japan.
Clement Ahiadeke, Ph.D., Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic
Research, University of Ghana Dr. Clement Ahiadeke is a professor and the past director of
the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research
(ISSER) at the University of Ghana, Legon. He earned his
PhD. in Demography from Cornell University, and his MPH
from Johns Hopkins University. He was additionally a post-
doctoral fellow at Princeton University. He works on and off
as a researcher with the Rockefeller Foundation and the
Population Council, both in New York. His research interests
include reproductive health, maternal and child nutrition
studies, family planning, HIV/AIDS program monitoring and
evaluation, design of baseline surveys, and the general
application of demographic processes in constructing
poverty indicators. Currently, Dr. Ahiadeke is studying how
peers, parents, and social support might mediate the correlation of sexual knowledge with sexual
outcomes. He is also studying household structure to determine causes of chronic household poverty.
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Emmanuel Akwetey, Ph.D., Executive Director, Institute for Democratic
Governance
Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey is the founding Executive Director of the
Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG.) He has served as a
consultant for many parties and organizations focused on Africa,
including the government of Ghana, the government of Liberia,
the Africa Capacity Building Foundation, and the United Nations
Development Programme. Dr. Akwetey recently won the
Millennium Excellence Award for the IDEG, in recognition of the
organization’s work on democratic development in Ghana for the
period 2005-2010. He has a Ph.D. in International Politics and
Development from the University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Ifediora Chimezie Amobi, Ph.D., Executive Director, African Heritage
Institution Dr. Ifediora Amobi is the Executive Director of African Heritage
Institution. He is an economist and university lecturer with over
25 years of international experience working at the World Bank, the
Department for International Development, Citibank and Accenture.
He has been an aide to the President of Nigeria advising on
national development matters, has managed enterprises, led teams,
and initiated work programs in macroeconomic policy, investment,
and strategy. He has a passion for community and regional
development, investment promotion, and economic empowerment
and sustainability. Dr. Ifediora has a Ph.D. in Economics from
Howard University in Washington, DC.
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Roger B. Atindehou, Ph.D., Manager of Eastern and Southern Africa
Operations, African Capacity Building Foundation
Dr. Roger Atindehou is Manager for Eastern and Southern
Africa Operations Department at the African Capacity Building
Foundation (ACBF) in Harare, Zimbabwe. He holds a Ph.D. in
Business Administration (Finance) from Laval University in
Canada. Before joining the ACBF, Dr Atindéhou was the
Director of the MBA program in Banking and Finance at the
Centre Africain des Études Supérieures en Gestion (CESAG) in
Dakar, Senegal. He previously served as Associate Professor of
Finance at the University of Moncton, Canada and Chair of the
Department of Finance and Accounting at the same. Dr.
Atindéhou has also served as Assistant Economic Advisor to
the Office of the President of the Republic of Benin. He has
analytical and technical experience in economics, finance and
development issues.
Ann Bernstein, Executive Director, Centre for Development and
Enterprise
Ann Bernstein is the founder and executive director of the
Centre for Development and Enterprise, regarded by many as
South Africa’s leading policy centre. She is also a board member
for the Development Bank of Southern Africa (1995-2001) and
the Brenthurst Foundation (2007 - present). She has been a
fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, Washington
DC (2005/6). Bernstein has been invited to the World Economic
Forum in Davos (2008, 2009), and she is a regular commentator
in South Africa’s newspapers, TV, and radio.
Her book The Case for Business in Developing Economies
(Penguin 2010) received favourable reviews in the Economist,
the Financial Times, and elsewhere and won the Fisher Award,
Washington DC (2012).
,
Kwabena Boakye, Ph.D., Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, African
Capacity Building Foundation
Dr. Kwabena G. Boakye holds a Ph.D. in Management
Science from the University of Texas and an M.S. in
Statistics from the University of Idaho. He also holds a B.Sc.
in Mathematics from Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology in Ghana. Currently, Dr. Boakye is
an assistant professor of Quantitative Analysis at Georgia
Southern University. His research interests include quality
improvement, applied statistics, and service innovation. His
works have been published in Operations Management
Research, Quality Management Journal, The International
Journal of Information and Operations Management
Education, The International Journal of Bank Marketing,
and have featured in numerous conference proceedings.
Deryck R. Brown, Ph.D., Senior Governance and Public Sector Specialist –
Africa Region, World Bank
Dr. Deryck R. Brown, a Trinidadian national, is a Senior Governance and
Public Sector Specialist in the Africa Region at the World Bank. Since 2011,
he has been Task Manager for the World Bank’s support to the ACBF, which
has been at the forefront of supporting the creation of African think tanks.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Dr. Brown was the Advisor on Governance
and Development and Head of the Technical Cooperation and Strategic
Response Group at the Governance and Institutional Development Division,
Commonwealth Secretariat, London. He has a Ph.D. from the University of
Manchester in the UK in Public Policy and Development.
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Gibson Chigumira, Ph.D., Executive Director, Zimbabwe Economic Policy
Analysis and Research Unit
Dr. Gibson Chigumira has been Executive Director of the
Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit
(ZEPARU) since its inception in March 2004. He holds a Ph.D.
Economics Degree from the University of Strathclyde (UK), an
MSc in Economics from the University of Glasgow (UK), and a
BSc and MSc in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe.
Prior to joining ZEPARU he worked as a consultant in the
Knowledge Management Department for the African Capacity
Building Foundation in 2003, and as a researcher and lecturer in
the Economics Department at the University of Zimbabwe from
1993 to 2003. He has researched and published on diverse topics in macroeconomic policy including
mining policy, financial reforms, currency reforms, public enterprise reforms, regional trade and
integration, agricultural competiveness and financing, education financing, health financing, and poverty
among others. He consulted for a number of regional and international organizations, and the
government of Zimbabwe. Dr. Chigumira also sits on a number of boards in both the public and private
sectors.
Franklin Cudjoe, Founder and CEO, IMANI Center for Policy and
Education
Franklin Cudjoe is the founding President and CEO of
the IMANI Center for Policy and Education. Mr. Cudjoe
is an Earhart doctoral fellow at Buckingham University,
and an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government’s Executive Education program. He has
also studied with the Atlas Economic Research
Foundation’s Think Tank MBA programme and the
Montreal Economic Institute's Think Tank Training
programme. He has a Bsc in Land Economy from
KNUST. In 2010 Cudjoe was named a Young Global
Leader by the World Economic Forum. He was named a
fellow of the Africa Leadership Network in 2012, and the only named Think Tank Leader in “Top 50
Africans” list of the respected Africa Report Magazine in 2012.
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Barassou Diawara, Ph.D., Knowledge and Learning Officer, African
Capacity Building Foundation
Barassou Diawara is the Knowledge and Learning Officer at the African Capacity Building Foundation
(ACBF). At the ABCF, he created and supported the Public Sector Management Training Programs and
Economic Policy Management Programs. He was also responsible for the ACBF’s Policy Institutes
Committee (PIC) and Africa Capacity Indicators Report (ACIR) initiatives. Dr. Diawara also represented
the ACBF at the Effective Institutions Platform (EIP), a summit hosted in Seoul. There, he shared several
initiatives related to peer-learning and the use of indicators undertaken by the ACBF in Africa. Dr.
Diawara holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal, and a Ph.D.
in Economics from Kyushu University in Japan where he was also a research fellow. His areas of
expertise include economic education, poverty economics, and applied macroeconomics.
Roger-Mark De Souza, Director of Population, Environmental Security
and Resilience, Woodrow Wilson Center
Roger-Mark De Souza is the Director of Population, Environmental
Security, and Resilience for the Wilson Center in Washington D.C. He
leads programs on climate change resilience, reproductive and
maternal health, environmental security and livelihoods, including the
Center’s Global Sustainability and Resilience Program, the
Environmental Change and Security Program, and the Maternal Health
Initiative. Before joining the Center in 2013, De Souza served as Vice
President of Research and director of the climate program at
Population Action International. Previously he worked at the Sierra
Club, the Population Reference Bureau, and the World Resources
Institute. Mr. De Souza holds graduate degrees in international
relations and development policy from George Washington University
and the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago.
,
Holger Dix, Ph.D., Resident Representative, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
(KAS)
Dr. Holger Dix joined the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAS) as
project assistant in 1993, and later became country director in
Rwanda. He later served as deputy director of the KAS regional
Southern Africa office based in Harare Zimbabwe. In August 1995, he
was appointed director of the KAS regional Western Africa office in
Cotonou, Benin. Between 1995 and 2000, he directed the work of
KAS in Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo. From
2000 to 2003 he served as Head of Division for West and Central
Africa, and from 2003 to 2006 as Director of the Department for
Africa and the Middle East. In November 2006, he was appointed
Resident Representative of KAS in Romania and Moldova, where he
served until 2012. Since August 2012, Dr. Dix has been the Resident
Representative of KAS in South Africa. Dr. Dix studied Political
Science, History and Communication Sciences at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. He
graduated as Master of Arts in 1991 and as Doctor of Philosophy in 1996.
Bitrina Diyamett, Ph.D., Executive Director, Science, Technology,
Innovation Policy Research Organization (STIPRO) Dr. Bitrina Diyamett is Executive Director of the
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research
Organization (STIPRO), an independent think tank
dealing with policy research in science, technology, and
innovation (STI) in Tanzania. She is a researcher and a
consultant in science, technology and innovation policy.
She holds an M.A Degree in Science and Technology
Policy from Lund University, Sweden (1993), and a
Ph.D. in Development Studies from the University of
Dar es Salaam (2010). In addition to her many
consultancies and publications, she has joined the Research Policy Institute (RPI) at Lund University as a
Faculty member for the training course on Africa’s STI indicators. She was among the resource persons
for the course on the Design and Evaluation of Science, Technology and Innovation Policies in
developing countries organized by UNU-MERIT, 22-26th February 2010, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
,
Hussein Elkamel, Ambassador, Senior International Cooperation
advisor, Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs
Ambassador Hussein Elkamel is the Senior International
Cooperation advisor of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, a
private think tank. He is the Senior Advisor of the Egyptian
governmental think tank, the Cabinet Information & Decision
Support Center. A professional diplomat, he has served as Egypt’s
ambassador to the EU, Belgian, Luxembourg, Germany, and the UN
Headquarters. He now serves as the director of the economic,
Middle East, information, and research departments in Egypt’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Elkamel is also a trainer,
lecturer, training programs coordinator, and Director of the
Professional Educational Center.
Job Imharobere Eronmhonsele, Senior Programme Officer, Centre for
Population and Environmental Development (CEPD)
Job Imharobere Eronmhonsele is a senior program officer working with
the Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED), a
think tank based in Benin City, Nigeria. He joined CPED as a research
intern in 2008 after completing his one year’s compulsory time in the
National Youth Service Corps in Borno State, Nigeria in 2007. He was
later employed as a program officer in 2009 in the same organization,
and rose to the position of a Senior Programme Officer in 2012. He has
been involved in the implementation of a substantial number of
research projects in Nigeria. He is currently Head of the
Communications Unit at CPED. He has interest in communicating
research outcomes to influence policies and to change behavior.
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Kobena Hanson, Ph.D., Head, Knowledge & Learning, ACBF
Dr. Kobena Hanson is Head of Knowledge and Learning at the African
Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). Prior to joining the ACBF,
Kobena was the Knowledge Management Coordinator at the Ghana
SHARP Project (a USAID/Futures Group International initiative for
Ghana). Dr. Hanson has also taught at West Virginia University,
Morgantown, United States. He earned a Ph.D. from Queens
University, Canada in 2001. Dr. Hanson has published a number of
critical articles on development policy, social networking and urban
livelihood strategies.
Daniel P. Kaboré, Ph.D., Executive Director, Centre d’Analyse des
Politiques Économiques et Sociales (CAPES)
Dr. Daniel P. Kaboré is the Executive Director of CAPES
(Centre d’Analyse des Politiques Économiques et Sociales), a
government-funded think tank in Burkina Faso. An
agricultural economist by training, he holds a Master of
Science in Applied Agricultural Economics from the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University in the United States,
and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of
Groningen in the Netherlands. Prior to joining CAPES in 2007,
he worked at INERA, Burkina Faso’s national agricultural and
environmental research institute as an agricultural economist.
Dr. Kaboré has also taught at the Economics department of
the University of Ouagadougou. His domains of expertise
include agriculture, environmental policy, and natural resource management.
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Theunis Keulder, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Namibia Institute
for Democracy
Theunis Keulder is a founding member of the Namibia
Institute for Democracy, and has served as its Executive
Director since 1995. In this position he routinely interacts
with government institutions, political parties,
international donors and organizations, embassies, the
media, the private sector and Namibian civic
organizations. Programs conducted recently under his
leadership include anti-corruption initiatives, the training
and deployment of civil society election observers, voter
education, technical support to electoral law reform,
organisational management assistance and ethics training
for Namibian NGOs, as well as technical support to the Namibian Parliament to strengthen its outreach
function. He holds an MA from the University of Johannesburg, a Master’s of Business Leadership (MBL)
from the University of South Africa Business School, and certificates in International Capital Markets,
Equity Markets and Fixed Interest and Bond Markets.
R. Andreas Kraemer, Director, Ecologic Institute R. Andreas Kraemer has been Founding Director of the
Ecologic Institute in Berlin, Germany, since 1995 and
Founding Chairman of the Ecologic Institute US in
Washington, D.C. since 2008. He has been a researcher,
teacher, and policy advisor on environment and
resources, climate and energy, and international
relations and global affairs for nearly 30 years. He is also
Adjunct Professor of German Studies at Duke University;
Speaker of Ecornet, the Ecological Research Network of
independent, trans-disciplinary environmental research
institutes in Germany; and Manager (pro bono) of the Konrad von Moltke Fund.
,
Phindile Lukhele-Oloronu, Ph.D. Interim CEO, Africa Institute of South
Africa
Professor Phindile E. Lukhele-Olorunju is currently Interim CEO at
the Africa Institute of South Africa. She is an internationally
respected scientist, researcher, and administrator. She holds a BS in
Agriculture, an MS in Plant Breeding, and a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding/
Virology. Other experience includes national, regional and
international consulting and management of international
agricultural projects, and collaborative research projects with
various institutions, including the University of Georgia in the United
States. Professor Lukhele-Olorunju has also managed three research
institutions, as Group Executive at the Agricultural Research Council
of South Africa from 2002 to 2008. Professor Lukhele-Olorunju has
published and continues to publish in peer-reviewed national,
regional and international journals and is an ASI member.
Dickson Malunda, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy
Analysis and Research-Rwanda (IPAR-Rwanda)
Dr. Dickson Malunda is a Senior Research Fellow at the
Institute of Policy Analysis and Research in Rwanda. He
holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Trento in
Italy, a Master’s degree in Development Economics from
Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and a BA from
Makerere University in Uganda. Dr. Malunda has previously
worked at the World Bank Office in Rwanda as a poverty
economist, and done work on the Women’s Economic
Empowerment Survey and Action Aid’s Public Financing for
Agriculture project. His research interests include poverty,
economic change, and employment. Dr. Malunda has also
directed projects on Rwanda’s economic transformation,
youth and employment, and an evaluation on Rwanda’s
National Employment policy.
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Constantino Pedro Marrengula, International Growth Centre-
Mozambique (ICG)
Constantino Pedro Marrengula is a researcher for the International Growth Centre in Mozambique. In
addition, he is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Economics at Eduardo Mondlane University in
Maputo, Mozambique. His research and publications have included private sector and SME performance
in Mozambique, limited market participation of firms in the construction and tourism industries, and
management skills and social capital in Mozambique’s private sector.
James G. McGann, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the International
Relations Program, University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Think
Tanks and Civil Societies Program
James G. McGann, Ph.D., is the assistant director of the International Relations
Program and director of the TTCSP at the University of Pennsylvania. He conducts
research on the trends and challenges facing think tanks and policymakers
around the world and provides advice and technical assistance to think tanks,
governments and public and private donors on how to improve the quality and
impact of policy research. He is also a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research
Institute, a think tank based in Philadelphia. Prior to coming to the University of
Pennsylvania Dr. McGann was an assistant professor of Political Science at
Villanova University where he taught international relations, international organizations and
international law. His current research interest include: assessing global trends in security and
international affairs research; the role of think tanks in shaping US foreign policy; think tanks and policy
advice in the BRIC and G20 countries and transnational threats and global public policy.
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Augustus Muluvi, Policy Analyst/Head of Trade and Foreign Policy
Division, Kenya Institute for Public Policy and Analysis (KIPPRA)
Augustus Muluvi is a policy analyst and the Acting Head of the Trade and Foreign Policy Division at The
Kenya Institute for Public Policy and Analysis (KIPPRA), an autonomous public think tank that provides
policy advice to the Kenyan government. He is also a faculty member in the Economics Department at
Egerton University in Kenya. His research and publication has focused on trade barriers impacting
Kenyan international trade, institutional and regulatory barriers inhibiting Kenyan trade within Eastern
Africa, and the state of regional integration in the African Economic Community.
Victor Murinde, Ph.D., Director of African Development Institute, African
Development Bank
Professor Victor Murinde is Director of the African Development
Institute at the African Development Bank. He holds a B.A. in Economics
from Makerere University in Uganda, a M.Sc. in Banking and Finance
and a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from the University of Wales in
Cardiff, and a Doctoris Honoris Causa from Tallinn University of
Technology in Estonia. Prior to joining the African Development Bank,
Professor Murinde lectured on development finance at the University of
Birmingham in the United Kingdom for 15 years. He is also a visiting
Professor at Cardiff Business School and the University of Stellenbosch
Business School in South Africa. He has provided services to
governments, companies, and international organizations, including the
World Bank, the United Nations, UNCTAD, the Kuwait Institute of
Scientific Research, the African Development Bank, and the Caribbean
Development Bank. His research interests include microstructure issues
in emerging financial markets, capital structure and dividend policy, bank performance and risk, financial
development and poverty reduction.
Lufingo Mwamakamba, Protocol and Partnerships Manager, Food,
Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)
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Lufingo Mwamakamba is FANRPAN's Protocol and Partnerships Manager in
South Africa. He has over 8 years’ experience in project management,
partnership building, and programs administration. At FANRPAN, he is
responsible for managing strategic partnerships with the host government,
network membership and with regional and international partner
organizations. His duties also include coordinating FANRPAN
communications and advocacy engagements at various high level policy
platforms such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP). Lufingo holds a M.Sc. in
Health Promotion and Public Health from Brunel University in the United
Kingdom and a MA in Hospital and Health Systems Administration from
Faculdades Oswaldo Cruz in Brazil. He speaks Portuguese as a second
language.
S. Mshaï Mwongola, Ph.D., Research and Communication Officer of the
African Peacebuilding Hub, African Leadership Centre
Dr. S. Mshaï Mwangola is Research and
Communication Officer with the African
Peacebuilding Hub (APN-Hub), a joint program of
the African Leadership Centre and the African
Peacebuilding Network of the Social Science
Research Council. In this position, she coordinates
APN-Hub programs, including the working group
on Leadership and Peacebuilding and the
establishment of database, networking and
dissemination platforms for African peacebuilding
research. She takes a great interest in pedagogy, research and the creative process. Dr. Mwangola holds
a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University in the United States. Prior to this, she
obtained an MCA (Masters of Creative Arts) from the School of Studies in the Creative Arts, University of
Melbourne and a Bachelor of Education (Honors) from Kenyatta University.
Pamela Nakamba-Kabaso, Ph.D., Executive Director, Zambia Institute for
Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR)
,
Dr. Pamela Nakamba-Kabaso is the Executive Director for Zambia
Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (ZIPAR). She also serves as
a lecturer on economics in the Department of Economics at the
University of Zambia. Dr. Nakamba-Kabaso holds a Bachelor of Arts
in Economics from the University of Zambia (1996), a Master of Arts
in Economics from the University of Nairobi (1998) and a Ph.D. in
Economics from the University of Witwatersrand (2010). Dr. Kabaso
has published a number of journal articles, working papers and
authored chapters in books.
Deo Ngendakumana, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Economic
Development (IDEC)
Dr. Deo Ngendakumana is Director of the Institute for
Economic Development (IDEC), a non-profit organization based
in Bujumbura, Burundi. Dr. Ngendakumana is also a professor
of management in the Department of Economics and
Administrative Sciences at the University of Burundi where has
served since 1986 after completing his studies in Switzerland.
He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Management Sciences. He
has written a number of scientific papers and conducted
various studies as an independent consultant and visited many
countries in Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
,
Joseph Ngwegwe, Director of Program Support Services, Policy Research
for Development
Joseph Ngwegwe holds both a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (Honors) and an MBA in Marketing and
Corporate Finance from the University of Dar es Salaam. Prior to becoming involved with Policy
Research for Development and serving as the Tanzania Programme Manager for Hivos Twaweza, Mr.
Ngwegwe was Business Director at the British Council in Tanzania.
Aminata Niang, Ph.D., Researcher, Initiative Prospective Agricole et
Rurale (IPAR)
Dr. Aminata Niang is a researcher at the Initiative
Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR), a young policy
research think tank based in Senegal and operating in the
West African region. IPAR’s research aims to inform
policymakers on rural and agricultural development and
youth employment, among other priority research themes.
For over ten years, she has been engaged in collaborative
research on sustainable development theory and practice,
gender, poverty reduction, and the socio-economic impacts
of corporate mining in Africa. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural
Anthropology from the University of Arizona.
,
Ingrid van Niekerk, Ph.D., Executive Co-Director/CEO, Economic Policy
Research Institute Dr. Ingrid van Niekerk is an Executive Co-Director and Senior
Researcher at the Economic Policy Research Institute in South
Africa. She is also the institute’s CEO and is responsible for
coordinating EPRI’s social protection capacity building
initiatives. Dr. van Niekerk has managed and carried out
research projects for the Department of Social Development
in South Africa as well as the inter-ministerial Committee of
Enquiry for Comprehensive Social Security. She has
experience in capacity building as well as monitoring and
evaluation, assessing the impact of social policy and analyzing
cash transfer programs. Dr. van Niekerk is responsible for EPRI’s capacity building program for
government departments, and she has taught courses for the Department of Social Development. She
currently leads EPRI’s Savings and Financial Inclusion Linkages Pilot (SAIL) project. Dr. van Niekerk holds
a Master’s Degree from the Center for Development Economics at Williams College in the United States,
as well as several other higher degrees in social science, economic planning and policy, and education.
Emmanuel Nnadozie, Ph.D., Executive Secretary, African Capacity
Building Foundation
Dr. Emmanuel Nnandozie is Executive Secretary of the African
Capacity Building Foundation. Prior to assuming this position, he
served as the Chief Economist and Director of the Macroeconomic
Policy Division, as well as Director of the Economic Development and
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Division of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Dr.
Nnandozie has also worked as coordinator for the UN-wide support to
Africa’s development and played a pivotal role in the shaping of the
UN and UNECA’s relations with the African Union Commission, the
NEPAD Secretariat, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM.)
He holds advanced degrees from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and
the Université de Paris 1 Sorbonne.
,
Franklin Oduro, Ph.D., Head of Research and Programs/Deputy Director,
Ghana Center for Democratic Development Dr. Franklin Oduro is the Head of Research and
Programs and also doubles as the Deputy Director at
the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-
Ghana). Dr. Oduro received his PhD in political science
from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. His
research interests include post-transition politics of
human rights accountability, transitional justice, and
truth commission processes; public administration
and policy analysis; civil society and elections
(election monitoring and observation); and African
political thought.
‘Funmi Olonisakin, Ph.D., Director, African Leadership Centre
Dr. ’Funmi Olonisakin is the founding director of the
African Leadership Centre, which aims to build the
next generation of African leaders in the fields of
peace, security, and development. She also directs
the postgraduate degree program on Security,
Leadership and Society at King’s College London.
Previously, she worked in the Office of the UN
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on
Children and Armed Conflict. Trained in Political
Science (Bsc. Ife, Nigeria) and War Studies (PhD,
King’s College London), Dr. Olonisakin has positioned
her work to serve as a bridge between academia and
the world of policy and practice. Her academic
research and writing have contributed to strategic
thinking in post-conflict contexts and in the work of
regional organizations such as ECOWAS and the African Union.
,
John Omiti, Senior Policy Analyst, Kenya Institute for Public Policy
Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) Dr. John Omiti is a senior policy analyst and Executive
Director of Productive Sector Division at the Kenya
Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis
(KIPPRA). Dr. Omiti obtained his Ph.D. in agricultural
economics from the University of New England, along
with a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in
Agriculture from the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
After graduating from the University of Nairobi, Dr.
Omiti worked in Kenya’s Civil Service for eleven years.
He then worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at
the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-
Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), focusing on natural resource
management strategies for small-holder agriculture.
Dr. Omiti then became a Senior Research Fellow at the
Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR) in Nairobi. He has provided technical guidance in
agricultural economics in countries including Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. He has a keen interest in
issues affecting economic performance, food security, poverty and institutional development at macro
and sectorial levels.
Idrissa Ouedraogo, Ph.D., Program Officer/Researcher, Centre des
Études de Documentation et des Recherches Économiques et Sociales
(CEDRES)
Dr. Idrissa Ouedraogo works as a program officer and researcher at the Centre des Études de
Documentation et des Recherches Économiques et Sociales (CEDRES) in Burkina Faso. He also has served
as Director-General of the Bureau of Study, Service, Survey and Research. His previous employers
include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Burkina Faso Ministry of the
Environment and Water. He has experience in data collection and analysis, the study of local economic
governance and long-term development planning. Dr. Ouedraogo has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the
University of Tennessee.
,
Kwame Owino, Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Economic Affairs
Kwame Owino is the CEO of the Institute of Economic
Affairs, a Kenya-based public policy think tank. Prior
to taking this office, he worked as a program officer,
leading research and policy dialogue in the area of
economic regulation and competitiveness policy. He
has diverse interests on economic regulation,
employment economics and public sector reform. He
undertakes and oversees research in IEA-Kenya’s key
policy areas on public expenditure and revenue
analysis, international trade, economic regulation and
the use of futures methodologies to inform public
affairs in Kenya.
Bodo Voahirana Ralantoarilolona, Executive Director, Centre de
Recherches, d’Etudes et d’Appui à l’Analyse Economique à Madagascar
(CREAM)
Bodo Voahirana Ralantoarilolona is the Executive
Director of the Centre des Recherches, d’Études et
D’Appui à l’Analyse Economique à Madagascar (CREAM)
in Antananarivo, Madagascar. She holds a Master’s
degree in Economic Policy Management and a
postgraduate degree in Planning. Her research and
publications have focused on poverty reduction
strategies, government policies to promote economic
advancement, and regional and structural features of
poverty.
,
Romi Reinecke, Program Manager, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – South
Africa
Romi Reinecke holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Honors), as well as a
Masters in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University in
Grahamstown, South Africa. Prior to becoming Program Manager at
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Ms. Reinecke was also a research assistant in
the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes
University. She is passionate about social justice projects and about
learning how a young person can make a difference in a complex world.
Rutuku K. Richard, Acting Executive Director, Institute of Policy Analysis
and Research
Rutuku K Richard is Acting Executive Director for the Institute
of Policy Analysis and Research in Rwanda. He has been a
financial administrator for over 10 years and holds an MBA in
Finance and Accounting. Richard has hands-on experience in
the design and implementation of both financial and
administrative systems with major development partners
like the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the
African Capacity Building Foundation, and the United Nations
Development Programme.
,
Michael Samson, Ph.D., Director of Research, Economic Policy Research
Institute Dr. Michael Samson is Director of Research at the Economic Policy
Research Institute (EPRI) in South Africa. He specializes in social
protection, particularly in designing, implementing, and evaluating
social cash transfer programs. He has created policy design
projects for social assistance programs in Malawi, Lesotho,
Senegal, Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya, and is currently working on
social protection projects in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mozambique,
Nepal, the Pacific, South Africa, and Uganda. Dr. Samson also acts
as coordinator and co-leader of the team assessing the impact of
the Child Support Grant in South Africa. He is also Visiting
Associate Professor of Economics at the Williams College Center
for Development Economics in the United States. Dr. Samson holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford
University.
Diakalia Sanogo, Ph.D. Senior Program Officer, Think Tank Initiative,
International Development Research Center
Dr. Diakalia Sanogo is a Senior Program Officer for the Think Tank
Initiative based at International Development Research Center
(IDRC)’s Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa in Nairobi. He
obtained a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Purdue University in
2001. Dr. Diakalia returns to the IDRC after spending two years at
Nigeria’s International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan as an
impact economist. From September 2004 to March 2006, he served
as Program Officer of the Secretariat for Institutional Support for
Economic Research in Africa (SISERA) in Dakar, Senegal. He has
extensive experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating
agricultural research and development projects on a regional scale in
Central and West Africa. Dr. Diakalia has a strong interest in research
and development activities related to agricultural development,
agricultural produce market innovations, the development of competitive agro-industries, poverty
analysis and microfinance.
,
Elizabeth Sirdiropoulos, Chief Executive, South African Institue of
International Affairs
Ms Sidiropoulos is the chief executive of the South
African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). She
holds an MA in International Relations (cum laude)
from the University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg. She has headed the Institute since
2005. Before her current appointment she was
director of studies at SAIIA from 1999 to April 2005.
She was previously research director at the South
African Institute of Race Relations and editor of the
highly acclaimed Race Relations Survey (now the
South Africa Survey). She serves on the Scientific
Advisory Board of the EU’s Development Commissioner, Mr Andris Piebalgs, and the Editorial Advisory
Boards of the Indian Foreign Affairs Journal and International Development Policy in Geneva. She is the
editor-in-chief of the South African Journal of International Affairs. Her research focus is South Africa’s
foreign policy, global governance and the role of emerging powers in Africa. Her most recent work is a
co-edited volume on Development cooperation and emerging powers: New Partners or Old Patterns and
she is currently collaborating with Indian, German and Mexican partners on new book project focusing
on development agencies in emerging economies.
Olusegun Sotola, Research Fellow, Initiative for Public Policy Analysis
Olusegun Sotola is a Research Fellow at the Initiative for Public Policy Analysis in Nigeria. He has
conducted research in government accountability and property rights. Mr. Sotola has a master’s degree
in Political Science/Economy from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.
,
Sarah N. Ssewanyana, Ph.D., Executive Director, Economic Policy
Research Centre (EPRC)
Dr. Sarah N. Ssewanyana is Executive Director of the Economic
Policy Research Centre in Uganda. She holds a Ph.D in
Agricultural Economics from the University of Sydney. Before
joining EPRC in 2003, she lectured undergraduate and graduate
students at the Makerere University Institute of Statistics and
Applied Economics in Uganda for over ten years. Her research
and publication focuses on poverty and inequality, food security,
child nutrition, and higher education in Uganda.
Jonathan Louis Stead, Director of Marketing and Communication, South
African Institute of International Affairs
Jonathan Louis Stead has been Director of
Marketing and Communication at the South
African Institute of International Affairs since
November 2006. He was previously involved
with the Institute for over twenty years in
various roles, including as a Member of its
Council and Executive. He holds degrees in law
and history from Rhodes University as well as a
teacher’s diploma, and was awarded a
Master’s degree with distinction in history.
Professionally he has been extensively
involved in higher education administration and marketing, working for Rhodes University (East London
Division), the University of Witwatersrand, the Technikon Witwatersrand and, following the merger, the
University of Johannesburg. Jonathan was instrumental in the establishment and development of
UNITECH, the professional body for marketing, communication and fundraising staff at all Southern
African Universities, and chaired the body for a period.
,
Amadou Sy, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Africa Growth Initiative,
Brookings Institution
Dr. Amadou Sy holds both a B.A. and M.Sc. from HEC Montreal, as well
as a Ph.D. from McGill University. Prior to becoming a senior fellow at
the Brookings Institution’s Africa Growth Initiative, Dr. Sy held a variety
of positions at the International Monetary Fund spanning the last 15
years, most recently in the role of deputy division chief of the Financial
Surveillance Division in the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets
Department. Dr. Sy has published in top academic and practitioner
journals, including the Journal of Banking, Finance and IMF Staff Papers,
Journal of Fixed Income, and World Economics. His focus is on banking,
capital markets, and macroeconomics in Africa and emerging markets.
Haile K. Taye, Ph.D., Director, Macroeconomic
Forecasting & Planning Unit, Botswana Institute for Development Policy
Analysis (BIDPA)
Professor Haile Taye is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the
Macroeconomic Forecasting & Planning Unit at the Botswana
Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA), a non-
governmental policy research institution. He also sits on BIDPA’s
Board of Trustees. His research areas include national debt,
public finance, and currency analysis. He has previously lectured
in Economics at Chancellor College of the University of Malawi.
,
Renate Tenbusch, Regional Coordinator for Africa – International Trade
Union Project, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Berlin
Renate Tenbusch is the Regional Coordinator for Africa at Freidrich-
Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Berlin’s International Trade Union Project. Mrs.
Tenbusch previously worked in the FES India Office. During her time
at the India Office, she held forums and workshops on women’s
empowerment. She has written about controversial questions in the
study of development economics for publications such as the
Berliner Republik magazine.
Chiwuike Uba, Finance and Administrative
Manager, African Heritage Institute, and Knowledge and Policy
Management Initiative Ltd/Gte
Mr. Uba Chiwuike is the Finance and Administrative
Manager of the African Heritage Institute and Executive
Director of the Knowledge and Policy Management Initiative
Ltd/Gte, as well as a financial, management, HR and public
relations (PR) consultant. His main areas of specialization
include finance, business management consultancy, and PR
consultancy. He is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate
Administration (Nigeria), the Institute of Financial
Consultants, (USA), the Institute of Cost and Management
Accountants (Nigeria), and Senior Fellow at the Institute of
Internal Auditors (Nigeria). He is a Certified Financial
Consultant and Chartered Business Administrator. He is a
member of the Chartered Association of Business
Administrators (Canada) as well as an associate member of
the Nigeria Institute of Management. He is also an affiliate
member of the Association of International Accountants (UK) and a member of the Chartered Institute
of Public Relations (UK).
,
Eberechukwu Uneze, Ph.D., Executive Director, Centre for the Study of
the Economies of Africa Dr. Eberechukwu Uneze is the Executive Director of the
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa, an
independent policy think tank based in Abuja, Nigeria. He
also leads the Centre’s Public Financial Management and
Governance Research Program. Dr. Uneze’s research
interests cut across public economics and policy analysis,
development economics, results-based public financial
management, and outcome and impact evaluation. He has
over 10 years of research experience in development
finance and public policy, and is the author of more than
25 articles and other publications.
Samuel Mwita Wangwe, Ph.D., Executive Director, REPOA
Dr. Samuel Wangwe is Executive Director of REPOA, an
independent research institution in Dar-es-Salaam.
Previously, he was the policy advisor on public service
reforms to the Office of the President of Tanzania, a post he
took after eight years as Executive Director of the Economic
and Social Research Foundation (ESRF). He has 40-years of
experience as a policy and economic advisor. He has been
involved in the publication of 13 books on development and
economic management, and over 70 published articles in
journals and edited books. He holds a bachelor’s degree in
Economics and Statistics, a Master’s degree in Economics,
and a doctorate in Economics from the University of Dar es
Salaam, and has also worked as Head of the Department of
Economics as well as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences at the same. During a three-year leave of absence,
he was senior research fellow at the Institute for New
Technologies of the United Nations University in Maastricht, The Netherlands.