Category: Global

Trip to Guyana to Discuss Oil-Led Development in the 21st Century

June 19, 2022

In the week starting March 7 2022, I was in Guyana, South America, to discuss strategies for oil-led development in the 21st century. I had a very engaging exchange with the business community, scholars, students, the media, policymakers and development partners on the opportunities and challenges that newfound oil/gas resources present to Guyana. As you … More Trip to Guyana to Discuss Oil-Led Development in the 21st Century

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

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

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

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

New Industrial Policy in Africa: Overcoming the Extractives Trap

January 17, 2016

Happy New Year! On 3-4 November 2015, I was at a conference organised by the Friederich Ebert Stiftung (FES) foundation on ‘New Industrial Policy in Africa: Overcoming the Extractives Trap’ in Atananarivo, Madagascar . The conference was organised to discuss attempts by African countries, especially resource producers and exporters to cope with the ongoing collapse in … More New Industrial Policy in Africa: Overcoming the Extractives Trap

Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 14

July 19, 2015

INTERNSHIP: SOCIAL POLICY FOR INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT AT THE UN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Deadline: 19 July 2015 The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous research institute within the UN system that undertakes multidisciplinary research and policy analysis on the social dimensions of contemporary development issues. Through our work, … More Scholarships and Development Opportunities No. 14

“EITI was the Wrong Focus” and other Highlights of the Natural Resource Governance Conference

July 3, 2015

Last week, I was at a conference organised by the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), formerly Revenue Watch Institute, on the challenges and opportunities presented by falling commodity prices. It was attended by the best in the academia, in policy and in civil society in the field. A breakdown of the panels and speakers is … More “EITI was the Wrong Focus” and other Highlights of the Natural Resource Governance Conference