Steering Committee
The Steering Committee provides advice and direction to the activities of the network and has oversight of the implementation of the strategy and programmes by the Secretariat.
Chair
Dr Ngugi holds a PhD from the Business School Birmingham University, UK, specialising in Financial Markets, and a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She was a Senior Advisor in the Office of Executive Director, Africa Group 1 of the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C. Dr Ngugi has been a member of the Central Bank of Kenya and has vast teaching experience at the University of Nairobi-School of Economics.
Steering Committee Members
Dr. Foretia is the Executive Chairman of the Nkafu Policy Institute in Cameroon and Co-Chair of the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation. A received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University and completed surgical training at Emory University. He also holds a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Carey School of Business also at the Johns Hopkins University.
Chukwuka Onyekwena is the Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA). He is also the Chair of the Advisory Board of AfricaPortal and a member of the African Policy Circle. His research interests include Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Trade, Global Economic Governance, Education quality, Agricultural productivity, and Financial Inclusion.
Dr Jai Asundi is the Executive Director of CSTEP. He joined the organisation in 2009 . His initial work was in the field of emergency and disaster management. He mentored teams across areas spanning climate, energy, and urban development. He spearheaded the establishment of AI for Social Impact as a sector of work and the creation of the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) at CSTEP.
Gala Díaz Langou is the Executive Director of the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (CIPPEC), and an international consultant in social policy. She holds an MA in Public Policy and Development Management from Georgetown University.
Vaqar Ahmed is Joint Executive Director at Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). He authored the book ‘Pakistan’s Agenda for Economic Reforms’. Vaqar was an Advisor to the United Nations Development Program and has undertaken assignments with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and Ministries of Finance, Planning and Commerce in Pakistan. Between 2009 and 2011 he was the Head of Macroeconomics Section in Planning Commission of Pakistan.
Margarita is the Director of the Center for Research and Statistics at FUSADES. Her current interests are women´’s economic empowerment, labour market, youth, and social programs’ evaluation.
Lorena Alcázar is a Senior Researcher at the Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE). She has previously worked at the World Bank and the Brookings Institution and was an advisor to the Ministry of Economy in Peru. Her research focuses on development economics, education, and social programs.
The Steering Committee renovates partially every three years. Past members include:
- Debapriya Bhattacharya (Founding Chair, CPD-Bangladesh)
- Ibrahima Hathie (IPAR – Senegal)
- Khalida Ghaus (SPDC – Pakistan)
- Martin Benavides (GRADE – Peru)
- Julia Pomares (CIPPEC – Argentina)
- Bitrina Diyamett (STIPRO-Tanzania)
- Karin Fernando (CEPA-Sri Lanka)
- Pablo Hurtado (ASIES-Guatemala)
- Tausi Mbaga Kida (ESRF – Tanzania)
