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From African Center for Economic Transformation:

Abdoul Mijiyawa is currently economist at the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET). He was a consultant at the World Bank, working on the 2010 MENA Regional Development Report. Dr. Mijiyawa worked on several projects with the Global Development Network, including the UNDP-GDN-AERC research project “Institutional Capacity Strengthening of African Public Policy Institutes to Support Inclusive Growth and the MDG’s”. His articles have been published in international economic journals and he has presented his research papers at several conferences in USA, Europe, and Africa. He is the winner of the 2010 CEDIMES award for outstanding Ph.D. dissertation on the process of economic development.  Abdoul holds a Ph.D. degree in economics from CERDI, France.

Eugenie Maiga joined the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) in 2010. She previously worked as a short term consultant for the World Bank on two projects: one on education and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and a project on school management reforms in Madagascar.  Eugenie holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. She was a Fulbright Scholarship and University of Minnesota Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship recipient. Her graduate research focused on health outcomes, investments in education, and investments on soil and water conservation.

From Africa Institute for Development Policy:

Chirag Shah is a Research Fellow at AFIDEP. He has cross-disciplinary experience in biological and social sciences research, writing, data analysis, and data presentation. At AFIDEP, he leads quantitative projects, drawing on his training in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Before arriving in Nairobi, Shah studied HIV/AIDS epidemiology and health policy for the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, where he examined trends in patient discharge data, surveillance data, and health policy and developed policy briefs for the State of California. Prior to that, he researched novel treatment modalities for brain and liver cancer and led a community-based needs assessment of the rural and urban school children of Kutch, India, focusing on helminthiasis prevalence disparities. Shah has two peer-reviewed publications. He holds a Master of Public Health, Epidemiology and a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior (with Honors), both from the University of California, Davis.

Violet Murunga has over 6 years of experience in research, monitoring and evaluation and health planning in Kenya and the US. She has a Master of Public Health (Epidemiology) from Florida International University, US and a Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology) from University of Newcastle, Australia. Her interest lies in promoting the use of research to inform public policy. She has experience conducting primary and secondary research. Most recently she coordinated two KAP studies focusing on SRH and HIV among in-school youth 15-19 years. In the past she has been involved in several other research studies and assessments focusing on a range of health issues including access to healthcare for vulnerable populations and chronic disease prevention. Currently she is working as Research Officer at AFIDEP on several projects focusing on sexual and reproductive health and maternal and child health.   Prior to joining AFIDEP, she was Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at I Choose Life Africa (ICL), a nonprofit organization focusing on HIV prevention programs targeting youth 15-24 in Kenya.

From The African Technology Policy Studies Network:

Kevin C. Urama, B. Agric (First Class Honors); MSc (Nig.); MPhil (Distinction, Cambridge); Ph.D. (Cambridge) is an Environmental and Ecological Economist developing trans-disciplinary and integrated tools for sustainable management of social, economic and ecological systems. He is the Executive Director of ATPS and is also the Inaugural President of the African Society for Ecological Economics (ASEE) – the African chapter of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE). He has a longstanding experience in developing and managing collaborative research projects and research networks for effective technology / knowledge sharing amongst relevant institutions and networks in Europe and Africa. Dr. Urama sits on many international Governing Boards, Advisory Boards and Advisory Councils for many science, technology and innovation-based initiatives, including the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation (ISTIC); the Responsible Innovation (MVI) of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, (NWO), Division of Humanities program of the Government of the Netherlands; the ISEE, the ASEE, etc. He is member of the Editorial (Advisory) Boards of many international journals, including Science and Public Policy, Ecological Economics; and Environmental Policy and Governance, etc. He is a member of the UNEP International Panel for Natural Resources Management, and a Lead Author for the sustainable development chapter of the IPCC Working Group (WG) III Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN), and member of the World Bank STEP B Project International Advisory Board. He has over 70 publications in various media including international journals such as Land Economics, Ecological Economics, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Agricultural Economics, International Journal of Sustainable Development, etc. He has a longstanding experience in science policy integration, policy analyses and policy advocacy with a focus on Europe, Africa and Asia.

Turner T. Isoun is a member of the ATPS Board and was the Minister of Science and Technology of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between October 2000 and May 2007. During his tenure, he initiated policies that promoted both high-tech and low-tech science for development and specifically guided the NigerSat I (a land observation satellite) and NIGCOMSAT 1 (an advanced communication satellite) projects from development to launch.  Prof. Isoun holds a BSc (hons), D.V.M. (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), and PHD in Veterinary Medicine and Pathology from Michigan State University. His research findings have been recorded in over 50 scientific publications and scholarly journals. His early career includes lecturing at the University of Nigeria and University of Ibadan where he taught at undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Prof. Isoun is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences and the African Academy of Sciences. He has also served on the academy’s Executive Board and was the first Executive Editor of the pan-African science journal, Discovery and Innovation, a publication that promotes science and technology, applied and theoretical, academic and commercialized in Africa. Prof. Isoun is widely travelled in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, and is conversant with the physical, political, and S&T challenges of these continents. He has met and networked with many academics, policy makers and representatives of major international organizations in the course of his travels.

From The Center for Democratic Development-Ghana:

Benedict Yiyugsah is a Researcher with the Tamale office of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development. He initially joined the CDD-Ghana in 2008 as a Research and Program Intern and has since progressed to assume the position of a Researcher with the Center’s newly opened office in Northern Ghana, Tamale. Hitherto joining the CDD-Ghana in 2008, Mr. Yiyugsah worked with the opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC) International in Ghana as a Community Development Officer on a joint Gold Fields Ghana Limited/ OIC International sponsored SEED Program upon successful completion of his Bachelor’s degree. Mr. Yiyugsah is a Public and Development Policy specialist by training as he holds twin Master of Arts degrees in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of York, UK and the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. By the same token, he holds a joint certificate in Community Development from the Trent University, Ontario – Canada and the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Development Studies from Ghana. Mr. Yiyugsah’s current areas of research interest include but not limited to the following: environmental variability and climate change mitigation and adaptation in Africa; states delivering for the poor, basic services & social protection strategies in Africa; the role of super markets and standards on the changing structure of the global agri-food system in Africa; agriculture commercialization and its impact on food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable livelihoods, land grabbing and agrarian change in Africa and the new geopolitics of food.

Kathleen Addy is currently a Communications and Outreach coordinator with the Afrobarometer Project, a public opinion survey project that is regularly conducted in over 20 African countries. The Project is based at the Center For Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana). She Holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Ghana, Legon as well as a Master’s degree in communications from the same institution. Prior to her current appointment, she worked at the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), in Accra as a research officer with particular focus on Women’s Economic Empowerment and Economic Partnership agreements. Ms. Addy is a Communications Strategist with extensive experience as a trainer and facilitator and particular interest in Development. She has expertise in different fields including Gender, HIV AIDS and Local Economic Development. Her current research interest include Strengthening The Role of Civil Society in Ensuring State Accountability; Improving Competitiveness of local Industry; and Education Policy as a tool for development.

From The Council for the Development of Social Sciences Research in Africa:

Ebrima Sall is currently (since April 2009) the Executive Secretary of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA). He has worked for CODESRIA since 1994, as Program Officer in charge of the Academic Freedom and Child & Youth Conflict Program (1994-2000), and as Senior Program Officer and Head of Research (2003-2009). From February 2001 to January 2004, he was a Senior Fellow and Research Program Coordinator, program on Post-Conflict Transition, the State and Civil Society in Africa at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden. Ebrima Sall holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Paris I-Sorbonne (1992). He also taught at the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis (UGB) in Senegal for five years and was promoted ‘Maitre de Conférences/Senior lecturer in “Sociology-Demography” by the French National Universities Council (CNU) in 1992. He is also a beneficiary of the post-doctoral fellowship of the Yale University Program in Agrarian Studies.  His most recent publications include the following books: Human Rights and the Dilemmas of Democracy in Africa (co-edited with Lennart Wohlgemuth), Citizenship and Violence in Cote d’Ivoire (co-edited with Jean-Bernard Ouedraogo) and Women in Higher Education: Gender and Academic Freedom in Africa and the Social Sciences in Africa. Dr. Ebrima Sall is Gambian.

From The Ethiopian Economic Association:

Emerta Asaminew is a Junior Research Officer at the Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute (EEPRI)/Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA). He has also worked for the National Bank of Ethiopia at the Economic Research and Monetary Policy Department. His interests include issues of climate change and the financial sector. 

From Human Sciences Research Council:

Udesh Pillay is the executive director of the Democracy, Governance and Service Delivery (DGSD) research program. He holds a PhD in geography from the University of Minnesota, and an MA in geography (cum laude) from the University of Natal. Prior to heading DGSD and the Centre for Service Delivery, Dr. Pillay was executive head of the HSRC’s Surveys, Analyses, Mapping and Modeling (SAMM), and Urban, Rural and Economic Development (URED), research programs. Dr. Pillay has been in executive management for over ten-years. Before joining the HSRC, Dr Pillay was the general manager of the Delimitation and Planning Directorate of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), overseeing the 1999 national and 2000 municipal elections. Prior to that, he was a senior manager at the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE). He has previously lectured at the Universities of Natal and Durban-Westville, and has consulted widely, including sustained involvement in the development of the white papers on urban development and local government in the mid-1990s. As an urban and economic geographer, Dr. Pillay’s key areas of expertise include urban development and renewal, local government reform and restructuring, local economic development, service delivery, urban policy and electoral geography. His PhD dissertation dealt with local economic development initiatives in South Africa, with specific reference to the case of Durban. Recent interests also include research into the impact of mega-sporting events on urban areas and livelihoods, and public opinion and attitudinal research. Dr. Pillay has strong research design, methodology and quantitative analysis skills. Dr. Pillay’s publications in peer-reviewed books and journals have dealt mainly with issues of urban development and social change in South Africa, urban policy, global city competitiveness, and the uniqueness of ‘locality.’ He is the co-editor of South African Social Attitudes: Changing Times, Diverse Voices, HSRC Press, 2006; Democracy and Delivery: Urban Policy in South Africa, HSRC Press, 2006; and Development and Dreams: Looking at the urban development implications of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, HSRC Press, 2009.

From The Institute for Global Dialogue:

Fritz Nganje is a research assistant at the IGD. He holds an MA in Peace Studies and International Relations from the North-West University, South Africa. Before joining the IGD in January 2011, he served as a research analyst with Consultancy Africa Intelligence, and has also provided research support to local and provincial governments in South Africa. His specific research interests include African Peace and Security, African Diplomacy, South African Foreign Policy, as well as the diplomacy of non-central governments. He is currently doing a doctorate on the foreign relations of selected South Africa provinces.

From The Institute for Security of Studies:

David Zounmenou is currently a senior researcher for West Africa in the Africa Conflict Prevention Program (ACPP) at ISS. He was appointed as senior researcher in the African Security Analysis Program at the ISS Tshwane (Pretoria) office in July 2007. Dr. Zounmenou is a graduate from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA-BENIN) – option Diplomacy and International Relations. He joined Wits University where he completed his postgraduate studies (BA Honors, MA Cum Laude and PhD) in International Relations. His areas of interest include Foreign Policy Analysis, Contemporary Development Issues, Democracy and Good Governance, Armed Conflicts and Human Security. Dr. Zounmenou tutored at Wits University and lectured at Walter Sisulu University before joining the ISS.

Dimpho Motsamai joined the ISS in November 2010 as a researcher in the Africa ACPP, based in Pretoria, South Africa. Under the ACPP’s Southern Africa component, her work focuses on the institutional dimensions of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in relation to human security, and South Africa’s regional foreign policy. Ms. Motsamai was trained at the University of the Witwatersrand, (Johannesburg, South Africa) and holds a Masters degree in International Relations. Her previous post was at the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) as an analyst on policy issues related to security, development, governance and international relations in Southern Africa.

From Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale:

Aifa Fatimata NDOYE NIANE (Mrs.) is IPAR’s program manager. Dr. Niane is a former researcher from BAME-ISRA, WARDA/Africa Rice, and Winrock International, as well as at the Agricultural Policy Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture. She is a member of African Women Leaders in Agriculture and Environment ‘’AWLAE”, and the International Association of Feminist Economists “IAFFE’’. She received her PhD in Development Economics and Gender, Agricultural Engineer, and specialized in Rural Economics. Dr. Niane’s research interests and experience includes Agriculture, Rural Economics, Development Economics, Gender, Youth and Employment, Migration, Growth, Poverty and Food Security.

From The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis:

Joseph Kieyah is a Senior Policy Analyst and the Head of Private Sector Development Division and Acting Head of Governance Division. He holds a PhD and MA degrees in Economics from the University of Connecticut and the University of Missouri, respectively. He also holds a Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of Iowa, College of Law with a focus on Antitrust Law and International Law. Dr. Kieyah has published in international reputable journals like the American Law and Economic Review and Journal of Comparative Economics. His methodological approach to public policy research is based on Law and Economics focusing on: Competition law and Policy; Regulation; Governance-Constitution Economics, and Land Reforms Prior to joining KIPPRA, he was a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University.