I am an (political-)economist and public policy professional based in Washington D.C., United States.
I work at the intersection of institutions, policy and politics in energy, natural resources, trade, industrialization and development cooperation.
This website aggregates my publicly accessible work on policy – commentary, analysis, research and policy dialogue.
In May 2025, I had the honor of delivering the keynote speech at the RMB – Rand Merchant Bank’s 2025 Think Summit in Cape Town, South Africa. I spoke about Africa’s Growth and Position in the Global Economy. The summary of my talk is thus: to achieve prosperity, equity and stability, African countries must industrialize … More Keynote Speech: Africa’s Growth and Position in the Global Economy
I gave this presentation, from a paper I am currently (still) writing, on “the politics of industrialization in Africa” at the Princeton University’s annual “Catalyzing Macroeconomic Policy for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa” conference on February 24, 2023. More to come in this space.
I recently published a paper entitled, “How Can African Countries Participate in U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chains?“, on October 4, 2023 to be precise. The paper examines the recent major pieces of U.S. climate-related legislation—the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act—and identifies three opportunities for … More How Can African Countries Participate in U.S. Clean Energy Supply Chains?
Zainab Usman 