Category: General

My Work on Economic Diversification is Featured in the New York Times

December 16, 2021

In October this year, some of my decade-long work and ideas on economic diversification in Africa was profiled in the New York Times. Very thankful to Peter Coy, the economics columnist and writer for the NYT, for finding my ideas interesting enough to devote an entire article to showcasing them with diligence and respect. Read … More My Work on Economic Diversification is Featured in the New York Times

Can Safety Nets Ease the Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Africa?

November 25, 2020

In September 2020, I co-authored this short essay on how safety nets can help ease the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. It was initially published on the World Bank blogs and later republished by the CFI magazine. Across the world, governments have geared up to respond to the socio-economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. … More Can Safety Nets Ease the Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Africa?

Journal Article: the Successes and Failures of Economic Reform in Nigeria’s Post-Military Political Settlement

December 20, 2019

My paper has just been published by the journal, African Affairs. Drawing on my doctoral research, the article has been four years (!) in the making, and I’m so excited and relieved that it is finally out. I had initially published it as a working paper in 2016, and its gone through a lot of … More Journal Article: the Successes and Failures of Economic Reform in Nigeria’s Post-Military Political Settlement

What Can Developing Countries Learn from Morocco’s Experience with Power Sector Reforms?

November 21, 2019

  I recently wrote a blog post, for the World Bank’s Sustainable Energy for All blog, on the lessons developing countries can learn from Morocco’s experience with power sector reforms. This is based on my recently published research paper on “Lessons from Power Sector Reforms: the Case of Morocco“. Here’s the blog post below. It’s also … More What Can Developing Countries Learn from Morocco’s Experience with Power Sector Reforms?

New World Bank Report, “Rethinking Power Sector Reforms in the Developing World”

October 27, 2019

Source: Cover of the Rethinking Power Sector Reforms   On the 10th of September 2019, a new World Bank Report was published entitled, “Rethinking Power Sector Reforms in the Developing World“. The report is part of a multi year initiative that aims to refresh the policy debate on the electric power sector. It presents a … More New World Bank Report, “Rethinking Power Sector Reforms in the Developing World”

Blog Post – The Future of Work in Africa: Making Productive Investments for More and Better Jobs

August 8, 2019

I co-wrote this blog post for the World Bank’s blog series to explain our new report on “The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Technologies for All“. We identify certain productive investments needed in African countries to secure for more and better jobs. I am reproducing it below, and you can … More Blog Post – The Future of Work in Africa: Making Productive Investments for More and Better Jobs

New Report Published: The Future of Work in Africa

August 7, 2019

Our new World Bank report, “The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Technologies for All” was recently published. I’m very pleased to have co-authored this publication on such a critical topic on the agenda of governments across Africa. My colleagues and I examine the roles of skills, informality and social protection … More New Report Published: The Future of Work in Africa

Global Launch of the National Oil Company Database by NRGI

June 17, 2019

On April 25th 2019, I participated in the global launch of the National Oil Company Database at the Open Government Hub in Washington DC. The database is a product of the Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI). It is a very useful resource for policymakers, reform advocates and researchers to understand these state owned enterprises! Here’s … More Global Launch of the National Oil Company Database by NRGI

Taking the Pulse of the Economies in African Countries

June 17, 2019

The Africa’s Pulse, is a bi-annual macro-economic update of the state of the continent. Each edition also features one or two special topics. It is published by the Office of the Chief Economist in the Africa Region of the World Bank. The April 2019 edition featured two special topics: ‘Implementing Regional Solutions to Address Fragility … More Taking the Pulse of the Economies in African Countries

Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 19

May 28, 2017

THE KNIGHT-HENNESY SCHOLARSHIP FOR GRADUATE STUDIES AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY. Apply by September 2017 and Enroll at Stanford in September 2018 Each year up to 100 high-achieving students (50 in the first year) who are independent thinkers, display purposeful leadership, and have a civic orientation will receive full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford. … More Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 19

Scholarships and Development Opportunities No.17

August 2, 2016

1. THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AFRICAN PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM  See website and brochure. UMAPS accepts direct applications from faculty members of colleges or universities in Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda. Faculty members of colleges and universities in all other African countries cannot apply directly to the UMAPS program without first being nominated and invited to … More Scholarships and Development Opportunities No.17

To transform Africa’s economies, African companies matter too

June 10, 2016

I recently wrote this piece for The Conversation. A consistent feature of global analyses of Africa’s economic prospects is their fickleness. In the years since the global financial crisis in 2008, forecasts about Africa have swerved from deep pessimism to heady optimism, and back to a bearish outlook of slow growth and fragility. The vacillation … More To transform Africa’s economies, African companies matter too

Scholarships and Development Opportunities No.16

May 27, 2016

1. CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: IZA/DFID SHORT COURSE ON PROGRAM EVALUATION (ALL EXPENSES COVERED) Organisers: David Lam (University of Michigan and IZA), Maryam Naghsh Nejad (IZA) Location: Lusaka, Zambia Date: October 29 – October 30, 2016 Submission Deadline: June 30, 2016 Notification of Acceptance: July 30, 2016 Deadline for Registeration: August 10, 2016 Event Manager: Dominik Spitza Online Application Form

China and Global Development: Different Perspectives on Africa

April 1, 2016

On 29 February 2016, I participated in a panel discussion on the above subject, ‘China and Global Development: Different Perspectives on Africa’. This was at the School of Public Policy, Central European University, Budapest, alongside, Professor George Wu (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Professor Chris Alden (London School of Economics and Political Science). The … More China and Global Development: Different Perspectives on Africa