Overview
The World Bank-African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Visiting Scholars Program offers an opportunity for four-month research placements for AERC scholars to join the World Bank and its partners to contribute to World Bank research programs and projects in their field of expertise and to enhance their own research relevant to economic development in Africa. The program aims to: (i) boost economic policy research in Sub-Saharan Africa; (ii) strengthen linkages between African scholars and the global research community in the areas of economic policy, academic research, and graduate training; and (iii) enhance skills and research outputs (i.e. publications and coursework) of African scholars by providing them direct access to wider and better information, network, economic research and data accessible via the World Bank and partner organizations.
2022 Visiting Scholars
Kenneth Kigundu Macharia
Kenneth Kigundu Macharia is a Kenyan national. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Nairobi. He also holds an MSc. Economics and a BSc. Economics and Statistics, First Class Honors, from Chuka University, Kenya. Ken is also a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA-K). His areas of interest are mainly in the application of microeconomics and econometrics in a range of areas including energy, productivity and efficiency analysis, environment and natural resources, and gender. Ken is also well equipped with skills in conducting field surveys, both in managing the surveys and qualitative and quantitative data analysis. He is well equipped with a wide range of statistical and econometric soft wares, among them being STATA, R, NLogit, SPSS, and E-Views.
Kenneth has a long experience in teaching and research. He is currently a full-time Economics Lecturer at the Department of Social Sciences at Chuka University where he teaches several courses among them, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Environmental Economics, Production Economics, Econometrics, and Development Economics. As a researcher, Ken is a network member of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and the Environmental for Development Kenya (EfD-Kenya) center. Ken has published in reputable peer-reviewed journals such as the Energy Policy Journal. He is currently serving as a 2023 World Bank- African Economics Research Consortium (AERC) visiting scholar in Washington D.C. During this period, he has been working on a research project titled “Technical Efficiency in Selected Sub-Saharan Africa Countries’ Service Sector.”
Ken has a passion for contributing to the development of solutions to address the problems currently faced by society.
Monica Sebastian Kauky
Originally from Tanzania, Monica Sebastian Kauky is an Economist. She holds a PhD from the University of Dar es Salaam. She also has a Master of Arts in Labour Economics and Public Sector Finance. Her research interests cover a wide range of topics, including health and nutrition, agricultural economics with a specific focus on production, post-harvest loss, and food security, labor economics, welfare economics, particularly in terms of building resilience to household shocks, gender and women empowerment, and human capital development, particularly in early childhood development. She possesses skills in conducting household surveys, data collection, and analysis using a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative techniques. Additionally, she specializes in impact evaluation research using randomized control trial experiments.
With extensive experience working in academia and conducting research in Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Monica S. Kauky is a Lecturer in Economics. As a researcher, she is a member of the African Economic Research Consortium network, and her recent research has focused on examining the effects of maternal education on nutrition outcomes in SSA. She is also a member of various research networks including the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) in Tanzania and the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD). Additionally, she works as a consultant, collaborating with NGOs on various development projects related to agriculture ,food security, health, nutrition, and child human capital development.
As a Visiting Scholar, Monica is working on “The Effects of Maternal Education on Childhood Malnutrition. Evidence from Tanzania”. She is currently a faculty member in the Department of Economics, University of Dar es Salaam – Tanzania.
2021 Visiting Scholars
Ibrahim Okumu
Ibrahim Okumu is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Economics, Makerere University. He is also an Associate Researcher at the: Economic Policy Research Center, Makerere University; Centre for Dynamic Macroeconomic Analysis, University of St Andrews; and Centre for Basic Research, Kampala Uganda. Okumu has research interest in economic growth and development, firm and household level behavior, public finance, corruption and governance. He has peer reviewed publications in: Development Policy Review, European Journal of Development Research, Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, African Development Review and South African Journal of Economics among others.
He joined AFECE in the January-June 2022 period. As a Visiting Scholar, Okumu is contributing to the World Bank’s 21st Century Africa Report. The report explores how Africa can claim the post-COVID 21st Century through enhancing productivity, private sector investment and industrialization towards inclusive structural transformation; and also using the World Bank Enterprise Survey data from 31 African countries to examine: the moderating role of the business environment in the relationship between gender of top manager and firm productivity.
Okumu holds a PhD in Economics of the University of St Andrews (United Kingdom), MA Economics of McMaster University (Canada) and BA Economics of Makerere University (Uganda).
Victor Ajayi
Victor Ajayi is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. Previously, he was a Visiting Scholar at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the aegis of the AERC/IMF Visiting Scholar Program and a Consultant at the Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting & Research Department of the African Development Bank. He has been involved in a number of research and policy engagements with African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy for Africa (CEEPA), The Productivity Institute, and Office of Gas and Electricity Market (Ofgem), United Kingdom.
He holds a PhD in Economics from Loughborough University, United Kingdom as an SBE Scholar and an MSc in Energy Economics and Policy (with Distinction) from University of Surrey as a PTDF Scholar. His general research interests lie at the intersection of energy & environmental economics, public economics, development economics and applied econometrics. His articles have been published in leading international journals, including World Development, Energy Economics and The Energy Journal.
As a Visiting Scholar, Victor will be working on two regional studies: Digital Africa for Inclusive Growth Research Program and The Economics of Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Janvier Mwisha Kasiwa
Janvier Mwisha Kasiwa holds a PhD from the University of Yaounde II-Cameroon. He also holds a Master of Philosophy in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics and a Professional Master in Project analysis and evaluation. His interest areas consists in the application of microeconomic approach and statistical techniques on a range of topics including agriculture and land access, health and nutrition, labor, welfare, gender and women empowerment, entrepreneurship and corporate finance.
With a broad experience working in the academic sector and research in Africa, Dr Janvier is an Associate Professor. Over the last three years, in addition to the teaching role, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management at the University of Goma in Eastern DR Congo. As a researcher, he belongs to the network of the African Economic Research Consortium and his recent research has focused on the effects of access to agricultural land, particularly by women, and nutrition outcomes in Africa. He also worked as senior adviser within the provincial ministry of Finance and economic affairs in North-Kivu, DR Congo.
As a Visiting Scholar at AFECE, he is supporting the “Improving Africa’s Land Governance for Economic Transformation” regional study.
2020 Visiting Scholars
Pouirkèta Rita Nikiema (January 2020 - June 2020)
Pouirkèta Rita Nikiema joined the AERC-WB Visiting Scholars program in January 2020 from her position as as a lecturer-researcher at the Economics and Management Department of “Université Norbert Zongo” in Burkina Faso. She holds a Ph.D in Applied Economics from University Cheick Anta Diop in Senegal with the Inter University Graduate program (PTCI), and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Economics from “Université Ouaga II” in Burkina Faso. Her doctoral research examined the impact of school feeding programs on enrollment and attendance for girls and analyzed the determinants of child nutritional status, particularly, the role of mother’s education and environmental factors in Burkina Faso. Her research interests are broadly in the economics of education, nutrition, health, labor, human capital, gender, and youth employment.
As a Visiting Scholar, Rita finalized and published her AERC thematic research paper titled “Women Empowerment in Agriculture and Children Nutritional Status in Rural Burkina Faso” as part of AERC Working Paper; and supported the “Improving Africa’s Land Governance for Economic Transformation” regional study at the Africa Chief Economist’s Office (AFECE). More broadly, Rita supported AFECE on research and policy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Ramaele Moshoeshoe (February 2020 - June 2020)
Ramaele Moshoeshoe (February 2020 - May 2020) joined the AERC-WB Visiting Scholars program in January 2020 from his position as a lecturer in the Department of Economics, National University of Lesotho. He received his PhD in Economics in 2015 from the University of Cape Town. His research interests lie in the intersection of applied microeconomics, labor economics and economics of education.
In 2016-2017, He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, under the Transfer Project, where he began working on impact evaluation of cash transfer programs on human capital development. His research work has been published in international journals such as the Journal of African Economies, and the Education Economics journal. As a World Bank-AERC Visiting Scholar, Ramaele Published his research Paper in the World Bank Working Paper series titled: “Long Term Effects of Free Primary Education on Educational Achievement: Evidence from Lesotho”; and supported AFECE team on the presentation of the concept note for Positioning Africa to Claim the 21st Century.
Tsambou André Dumas (February 2020 - June 2020)
Tsambou André Dumas (February 2020 - May 2020), is a researcher in Applied Microeconomics (industrial economics, innovation, and firms) affiliated to the Centre for Studies and Research in Economics and Management (CEREG), the Research Centre in Applied Microeconomics (REMA) and monitor at the University of Yaoundé II-Soa (Cameroon). His doctoral research examines the effect of innovative behaviour on firm performance in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa. His research focuses on microeconomics of development where he is interested in issues of innovation, financing, efficiency, productivity, competitiveness and firm performance. He is the author of several publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals including African Development and the Review of International Comparative Management. He regularly participates in the writing of survey reports, scientific reports, conference reports and book chapters. As an AERC-World Bank Visiting Scholar, he will work on two main projects.
During his time as a Visiting Scholar, Dumas worked on two main projects. The first project was under the AERC thematic research entitled "Innovation Adoption and Productivity of Enterprises in Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: the case of Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal"; Secondly, he supported the “Continent-Wide Digital Economy for Africa” regional study at the Africa Chief Economist’s Office (AFECE). More broadly, he supported AFECE on research and policy in sub-Saharan Africa.
2019 Visiting Scholars
Dr. Romuald Foueka
Dr. Foueka is a researcher with the African Economic Research Consortium. He joined the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region as an African Economic Research Consortium Visiting Scholar. He joined the Bank as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Yaoundé II in Cameroon. His field of expertise is in the area of Education Economics and Public Finance.
He holds a PHD in Economics from the University of Francois Rabelais of Tours in France where he wrote his thesis on Public Spending on Education and Human Development in Cameroon.
During his time as a Visiting Scholar, Romuald’s research was on the determinant analysis of school performance on basic education in sub-Saharan French countries. He also worked with World Bank staff in his thematic areas and contributed to ongoing activities in the Office of the Chief Economist for Africa.
Dr. Trust Reason Mpofu
Dr. Mpofu is a researcher with the African Economic Research Consortium. He joined the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region from the University of Cape Town in South Africa where he was a Carnegie Postdoctoral Research Fellow and part-time lecturer in the School of Economics. His research interests include economics of exchange rates, international macroeconomics, financial sector development with a focus on credit risk in the banking system, and monetary economics.
He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Cape Town, an MSc in Economics, and a BSc (Hons) in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe.
During his scholarship, Trust’s role was to support research and policy development on Sub-Saharan Africa in the Office of the Chief Economist for Africa. He also worked with Bank staff in his thematic areas.
2018 Visiting Scholars
Dr. Elizabeth Nanziri Lwanga
Dr. Lwanga is a researcher with the African Economic Research Consortium. She joined the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region from the University of Oxford where she was undertaking research in development economics. Her research focus is financial inclusion for households and firms, behavioral economics, gender and welfare. She also has substantial experience with the policy making process in East and Southern Africa. Prior to her current role, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Savings Institute, under the Ministry of Finance in South Africa and the Industrial Development Corporation.
She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Cape Town, an MA in Economic Policy and Planning, and a BA (Hons) in Economics and Political Science from Makerere University in Uganda.
During her time as a Visiting Scholar, Elizabeth’s role was to assist the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region with the implementation of the Think Africa Partnership, and to conduct research on Africa extractives, and gender- related initiatives.