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ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS: RECENT APPOINTMENTS IN LIBERIA, NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA

Deputy Governor for Economic Policy of Central Bank of Liberia, Chief Economic Advisor for Oyo State in Nigeria, and Member Appointment, Presidential Economic Advisory Council, South Africa

Please join us in congratulating alumni Dr. Musa Dukuly and Dr. Musibau Babatunde on their appointments, and our founder Professor Benno Ndulu.

If you are an alumni of our research, training our policy outreach programmes, please visit our alumni page to join our network.

AERC Research Member Appointed as Deputy Governor of Liberia

The President of Liberia, His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, on 18 June 2019, nominated Dr. Musa Dukuly as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia for Economic Policy. He was successfully confirmed by the Senate in July 2019 and officially appointed to commence duty at the Bank, where he has so far exhibited exuberance, full commitment and professionalism in the handling of responsibilities.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Dukuly served as Principal Economist with the ECOWAS West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He joined WAMA in March 2013 as Senior Economist, rising through the ranks to become a Principal Economist with the assigned responsibilities of performing macroeconomic assessments to Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone under the ECOWAS Monetary Cooperation Programme (EMCP) to inform the Multilateral Convergence Mechanism of the region.

He previously worked as National Consultant on the Poverty Reduction Strategy of Liberia, especially on the Poverty Diagnostics (PD), Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA), through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that engendered the process of debt waiver for Liberia in 2010. Essentially, he played economic advisory role to Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Ministry of State (2011-2013) through the John Snow Institute Scott Fellowship.

Dr Dukuly obtained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Economics from the University of Nairobi in 2012 with the focus of his thesis on financial development of SMEs in post-war environment, significantly investigating the simultaneous factors of the qualitative and quantitative drivers of SMEs credit participation, identifying diverse credit constraints and eliciting factor for credit default. He served as a part-time lecturer of development economics at the University of Nairobi in Kenya (2010-2011), United Methodist University (Liberia) in 2012 and full time at the University of Liberia (2007-2012).

He is a research network member of Africa’s top economic think tank research group, African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya with a publication entitled: Access to Credit in Urban Liberia: Double Hurdle Approach and also accredited with other discussion papers, including, Macroeconomic Implications of Ebola: Peripheral View on Liberia (TLC Africa/Perspectives, 2015), Credit Transmission Mechanism of Liberia’s Central Bank: Is it Pro- poor? (Theoretical Discussion, Perspectives-2013), Liberia’s Middle Income Momentum: Ten Economic Commandments (March, 2013); Liberia Economic Nationalism: Be Wary of Salary Increment (Observer 2012), Staggering from Inflation and Mounting Deficits in Liberia: Non- parametric Analysis (2012); Envisioning Liberia’s Development Vision: Pre-conditioning Perspective (TLCAFRICA).

Gov Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Nigeria, has approved the appointment of Dr Musibau Babatunde, an Economist from the University of Ibadan, as his Chief Economic Adviser

“Mr Taiwo Adisa, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, said in a statement on Tuesday in Ibadan that the appointment was with “immediate effect”. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor’s 4-point Development Agenda is aimed at expanding the economic frontiers of the state. Adisa said that the governor’s appointment of an economic adviser, was to enhance the successes already achieved and help to turn around the economy of the state.

Dr. Musibau Babatunde is a recipient of the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Nairobi, Collaborative PhD Scholarship Award for African Scholars.”

Former Bank of Tanzania Governor Professor Ndulu Appointed Economic Advisor of South African President

“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, September 27, appointed former Bank of Tanzania (BoT) governor Professor Benno Ndulu as a member of the new Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Professor Ndulu is best known for his involvement in setting up and developing one of the most effective research and training networks in Africa, African Economic Research Consortium.”