Team - African Institute for Inclusive Growth

Nicholas Ngepah (PhD)

Founder & Executive Director

Prof Nicholas Ngepah has a PhD in Economics, and is a Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg. He is an expert in quantitative research techniques, economic development and policy impact assessments, including assessment of spatial effects. He has wide range of experience on development issues, with core expertise in poverty, inequality, labour market dynamics and inclusive economic growth with related policies like international trade, regional integration health, industrialisation, energy and climate change. He has completed research exercises for international organisations like the World Bank, UK Overseas Development institute, African Economic Research Consortium; local research organisations Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the IDRC, Oxfam and the South African Government. His most recent works include: Economic Growth, inequality and State Fragility nexus; economic inclusion and state fragility in Africa; Poverty effects of regional and continental trade-integration in Africa; climate change and economic growth projections, inclusive growth theories and practise; value chains and the poor in Southern Africa. His recent work on the SDGs in Africa formed part of the bases of the policies debated in the context of the first 1000 days of the SDGs implementation under Development Progress. He has previously served as economic expert at the South African Competition Commission, where he led impact assessments of market structures and spearheaded investigation of cases of anticompetitive practices and merger evaluation, involving pricing behaviours and broader impacts. He has undertaken various projects involving large multi-country surveys and data analyses in Southern Africa. In his role as Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg, he lectures microeconomics and micro econometrics-related subjects and coordinates the PhD and Masters Research Degree programme at the School of Economics. He supervises PhDs and Masters Research students in various economic development-relevant topics. He has initiated and established the agenda for the African Institute for Inclusive Growth, an emerging think tank that deals with issues of inclusive economic development in Africa. He has published widely.

Director for Research, Training & Policy

Kehinde O. Omotoso holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Her research covers a wide range of development issues relating to health inequality & financing, impact evaluation, poverty, gender, climate change and food security. Her research and policy experience spans over a decade during which she has gained a deep understanding of the macro-and micro-economic factors that determine access to healthcare, poverty and health inequality in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. She contributes regularly to the policy discourse on healthcare issues in the context of sustainable development goals (SDGs). She has presented several research papers in both national and international conferences, seminars and workshops. She has a number of research articles published in reputable journals to her credits. She is currently on a post-doctoral research fellowship.

Policy & Stakeholder Manager

Ms Nkosi is a researcher with over 10 years’ experience in economic research and model building. She has a Master’s degree in Economics and is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics at the University of Witwatersrand. She is a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg. One of her strong points is primary data collection and analysis. Her excellent work translated to an award she received for her Master’s degree, where primary data collection on household’s willingness to pay for renewable energy was involved. She has worked with a number of government departments as a member of a consulting team. Her research interests include environmental economics, energy economics, economic development, gender studies and poverty alleviation.

Research Manager

Dr Saba holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Johannesburg specializing in development economics. His research experience is supported by high quality articles published in peer-review Journals. He has experience in both qualitative and quantitative research. His research, teaching and supervision experiences have focused on information and communications technology, infrastructures, public finance, energy and climate change, institution & governance, poverty & inequality. He won the 2021 University of Johannesburg research fellows excellence awards in recognition of research excellence. He has worked on projects involving various government departments, for example, the Department of Public Enterprise.

Researcher

Ms Ariane Ndzignat is a researcher, with a Masters in Development Economics from the University of Johannesburg. She has over five years of economic research experience. She has proven ability and experience in economic research, especially in the areas of gender, human capital, financial and credit rating studies. She has a practical experience in Microeconomic and Macroeconomic modelling for policy analysis. She is a hard-worker, with experience in data collection, analysis and reporting. She has a strong background in quantitative economic techniques and surveys studies, and some experience in qualitative analysis. She possesses good analytical skills. Her research interests include gender related issues, economic development, inclusive growth, inequality, poverty alleviation, and credit rating.

Human Resources Officer

Mrs Nelisa L. Mkhize has Diplomas in Human Resource Management at Esayidi TVET College and Tourism Management at Boston Business College, with certification from the National School of Government for Breaking barriers to entry into the Public Service Orientation Program. She is a well experienced Human Resource Officer. Having worked mostly in the areas of Education and knowledge environment, she is well talented in sourcing educational research and technical staff. She is good at staff training, recruitment, financial document support, reporting and controlling HR reports, HR Systems such as Persal System, as well as administrative work. She is experienced in giving strategic advice to operational managers, directing the administrative functions and mediating disputes. She served as a Human Resource Officer for the Department of Education, building bridges with ward managers; principals and educators to enhance awareness of the Department’s Initiatives. She is skilled in sourcing & evaluating resumes, conducting background checks and other confidential information.

Accounting & Finance Officer

Ms Rachel Ndou holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science in Financial Accounting from the reputed University of south Africa in 2018. She works in the areas of finance management and accounting, including assisting with payroll. Her core competencies involve Financial Reporting, Internal Control, Basic Accounting Reporting, Revenue Recognition, Procedures, IFRS, Auditing Procedures, and Budgeting. As the accounting and finance officer of the AIIG, she assists with the day-to-day management of the finances, including the accounts keeping. He most recent job before joining the AIIG was that of a Junior Auditor of rain Chartered Accountants.

GIS & Environmental Science Specialist

Dr Zongho Kom, has a PhD in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) & environmental science from the University of Venda. He is a project administrator for South Africa/Flanders Climate Adaptation Research and Training Partnership (SAF-ADAPT), at the University of Venda. He also couples as an administrator/facilitator for a GIS Certificate course at the same University. He is a member of the South Africa Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) as well as a member of American Associations of Geographers (AAG). His field of expertise are; Climate variability and change, sustainable livelihoods, small-scale farming and geospatial analysis using GIS/Remote sensing.

Project & M&E Officer

Mrs RN Nda has a Masters in Economics from the University of Pretoria, Postgraduate Diploma in Public health, certification in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and project management. She has experience in project management, M&E, research and policy. Her previous role with the European union entailed amongst others, monitoring the implementation of various projects against targets. Prior to this, she had been involved with various research projects, one of which she acted as a research consultant on a project commissioned by Oxfam. Her interest in economic development and human welfare led her to take a strong interest in health issues and health programs management. Working initially as a researcher, her familiarity with data, and her training in M&E has helped her become the M&E focal point within the organization.

Senior Research Fellow- ETHIOPIA

Professor of Macro & International Economics Department of Economics Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Professor Alemayehu Geda is currently Professor of Macroeconomics & International Economics at the Department of Economics of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He is a pivotal member of the Ethiopian Economic Association and the Economic Advisory Council; of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He is also a Research Professor at the SOAS, University of London, where he served as Senior Lecture between 2003 and 2005. Research Associate (Center for Development Policy Research, SOAS, University of London & The Central Bank of Kenya, Nairobi).

Senior Research Fellow- BURUNDI

Associate professor & Dean, Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Burundi, Bujumbura, Burundi.

Professor Willy-Marcel NDAYITWAYEKO is an Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Burundi. He holds a BS in Agribusiness from University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, an MPhil in Agricultural Economics and Resource Management from Moi University, Kenya, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and Resource Management from Moi University, Kenya. He is specialized in International Trade.

Research Fellow – CAMEROON

Environmental economics and natural resources management

Dr. Dorothe Yong Ngondjeb holds a PhD in environmental economics and natural resources management under the African Economic Research Consortium’s (AERC) Collaborative PhD Programme and a Master’s degree in public economics from University of Yaoundé II in Cameroon (PTCI – Inter University Program of Graduate School in Economics). In addition to her work with the AIIG, she is a Senior lecturer at University of Yaoundé II.

She is equipped with more than seven years of international work experience in conducting statistical and economic analyses from international development work as well as environmental and agricultural economics studies. She was formerly a program coordinator at UNU INRA and researcher fellow at Ottawa University. Dr Yong was also a UNU WIDER Visiting researcher. She has conducted appraisals for different sponsors (projects, NGOs, international organizations, government, etc.) on the management of natural resources including lakes, agricultural production, and access to water quality.

Her research interests include economic assessment of damage caused by soil erosion in agricultural production and other sectors, using direct and indirect methods of assessment (damage function, cost / benefit analysis, contingent valuation method, method of avoided costs, etc.). She is also interested by the implementation of policies on payments for environmental services.

Dr Yong has consulted as environmental economist and agriculture and natural resources expert for international organisations and institutions, public sector and NGOs. She has also written and published several reports and scientific papers on agricultural crop production management, climate change, conservation of natural resources and the economic evaluation of ecological damage on those resources.

Senior Research Fellow- DRC

Professor Isaac K. Kanyama, Ph.D.Professor at University of Kinshasa & Founding Executive Director Bureau for Economic Expertise (BEE) Kinshasa, DRC

Professor Isaac Kanyama received his B.S. degree in Mathematical Economics from the University of Kinshasa (DRC), his MA and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Kansa (US). He is currently a professor of econometrics, microeconomics, macroeconomics and mathematical economics at the University of Kinshasa and at some universities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is a former Senior Lecturer of the University of Johannesburg where he taught courses in econometrics and development macroeconomics.He represents the African Institute for Inclusive Growth in DRC, in partnership with his organization, the Bureau for Economic Expertise.He is the Founding President of the Bureau for Economic Expertise (BEE), Center for Economic Sensitivity (CES). His current research is on developing indices of consumer sensitivity to economic conditions, based on microeconomic theory. These indices are theoretically founded and depend on observable characteristics of consumer decisional environment and on properties of utility maximization, based on the fact that prices indices do not reflect consumer sensitivity to economic conditions. He is Research fellow at the Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES) at the University of Kinshasa, and a Research Director at the Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI).

Senior Research Fellow- ZIMBABWE

Senior Lecturer, Great Zimbabwe University

Dr Sunge holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Johannesburg. He lectures in the Department of Economics at Great Zimbabwe. He teaches economics research, econometrics, monetary economics, and mathematical economics among other courses. His research interests are in development economics, particularly agriculture and environmental economics, international trade, and productivity and efficiency analysis. His teaching and research are reflected in several publications in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. Sunge is a practicing consultant who has done so at local, national, and international levels. His consultancy work focuses on policy advocacy, capacity building, and impact analysis. He is also a member of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) Young Economist Network (YEN).

Research Fellow - MADAGASCAR

Public policy, macroeconomics and growth.

Dr Miora Rakotonirainy holds a PhD in economics from Catholic University of Madagascar. Her research interests are in public policy, macroeconomics and growth. She specializes in financial macroeconomics. In addition to her involvement in the AIIG, She is a researcher at the Centre de Recherche pour le Développement (CRD) of Catholic University of Madagascar.

Senior Research Fellow- CAMEROON

Associate Professor, University of Younde II, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Professor Boniface Ngah Epo is an Associate Professor at the University of Yaoundé II. Boniface Ngah conducts research on welfare issues and pro-poor growth. Before joining University of Yaoundé II. He holds a Ph.D. in Faculty of Economics and Management from University of Yaoundé II. He specializes in Development Economics.

Senior Research Fellow- SENEGAL

Professor, at Universite Cheik Anta Diop & founding Director of Institut d’Etudes Economiques et Sociales, Dakar, Senegal

Professor Abdoulaye Seck is director and co-founder of Institut d’Etudes Economiques et Sociales (Institute for Economic and Social Studies – www.iees.sn), and Professor of Economics at Cheikh Anta Diop University. He has been a visiting professor at universities in Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea. Professor Abdoulaye teaches various courses (Microeconomics, International Trade Theory and Policy, Advanced Macroeconomics, Topics in Econometrics) and conducts research on international trade, economic growth, technology generation and diffusion, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and environmental valuation. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Suffolk University, Boston, with a specialization in International Economics and in Econometrics. abdoulaye.seck@ucad.edu.sn
Institut d’Etudes Economiques et Sociales

Chair of AIIG Programme Committee

Professor Simplice Asongu holds a PhD from Oxford Brookes University and is currently the Lead Economist and Director of the African Governance and Development Institute (Yaoundé, Cameroon); Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg (Johannesburg, South Africa), the Lead Economist and Director of the European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (Liège, Belgium) and Lead Economist and Co-director of “Centre de Recherche pour le Développement Economique” (Bangui, Central African Republic). He is also a: Senior Research Fellow at the Africa Growth Institute (Cape Town, South Africa); PhD Supervisor at Covenant University (Ota, Nigeria), the University of Ghana (Accra, Ghana); Antioch University (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Midwest, New England, Seattle, USA) and Midlands State University (Gweru, Zimbabwe); DBA Supervisor at Management College of Southern Africa (Durban, South Africa) and Research Associate at the Research Network Africa (Gaborone, Botswana), University of South Africa (Pretoria, South Africa), University of Buea (Buea, Cameroon) and Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, UK). He is also Associate Editor in some journals including the Journal of Economic Surveys, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, the Journal of African Business and the African Journal of Economic and Management Studies.

Senior Research Fellow – CAMEROON

Professor Cyrille Bergaly Kamdem is a Senior Research Fellow at the AIIG.

He is also an agricultural and Development Economist Specialist, Associate Professor at the University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon. Cyrille Bergaly Kamdem holds a Bachelor, a Master and PhD degree in Agricultural Economics in Faculty of Economics and Management from University of Yaoundé II. Prof Cyrille Bergaly Kamdem has previously worked as a Research Associate at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture at National Station in Yaoundé Cameroon, Consultant with the The World Vegetable Center, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Subregional Office for Central Africa, SNW, WWF and IITA.

Senior Research Fellow- MADAGASGAR

Président du Conseil d’Administration, Institut National de la Statistique de Madagascar-INSTAT

IT & Media Officer

Mr. E Chabangu is experienced in the Design and Information technology field and a budding entrepreneur.

Nicholas Ngepah (PhD)

Founder & Executive Director

Kehinde O. Omotoso (Phd)

Director for Research, Training & Policy

Ms Phindile Nkosi (MSc)

Policy & Stakeholder Manager

Charles Saba (PhD)

Research Manager

Ariane Ndzignat (MSc)

Researcher

Nelisa Mkhize (Dip.HR)

Human Resources Officer

Khangwelo Rachel Ndou (BCom)

Accounting & Finance Officer

Zongho Kom (PhD)

GIS & Environmental Science Specialist

Ruth N Nda (MSc)

Project & M&E Officer

Professor Alemayehu Geda

Senior Research Fellow- ETHIOPIA

Professor Willy-Marcel Ndayitwayeko, PhD

Senior Research Fellow- BURUNDI

Dorothe Yong Ngondjeb, PhD

Research Fellow – CAMEROON

Professor Isaac K. Kanyama, Ph.D

Senior Research Fellow- DRC

Dr Regret Sunge (Ph.D.)

Senior Research Fellow- ZIMBABWE

Dr Miora Rakotonirainy

Research Fellow - MADAGASCAR

Professor Epo Boniface Ngah, PhD

Senior Research Fellow- CAMEROON

Professor Abdoulaye Seck, PhD

Senior Research Fellow- SENEGAL

Professor Simplice Asongu, (PhD)

Chair of AIIG Programme Committee

Professor Cyrille Bergaly Kamdem, (PhD)

Senior Research Fellow – CAMEROON

Eric Jean Michel Rakotomanana

Senior Research Fellow- MADAGASGAR

Eugene Chabangu

IT & Media Officer

Program areas