I am an Economist and International Development consultant with over 15 years of field experience across Asia, Africa, and Middle East.
My work sits at the intersection of technology policy, digital transformation, and economic development. I am particularly interested in one question that I think global AI conversations consistently miss: how can government policy actually help small businesses in emerging markets adopt AI?
What I am currently work on
- AI adoption barriers for SMEs in emerging markets
- Policy frameworks for digital transformation in low and middle income countries
- Digital infrastructure and AI readiness across African economies
- Technology governance and regulatory design
Where have I been?
Between 2020-2023 I led a programme on SME sector development, that had cross cutting in to digital transformation. I led the digital traceability component of a donor-funded private sector development programme in South Asia, implementing blockchain technology for organic agriculture supply chains. That experience taught me something I carry into all my research: technology fails not because of implementation, but because of institutional and economic constraints that policymakers rarely account for.
Prior to that, I worked as an ICT policy researcher, focused on policy formulation for digital development in low and middle income countries..
What is ahead?
I am completing peer-reviewed research on AI skills adoption policy barriers across five African countries, alongside econometric work examining how digital infrastructure shapes AI readiness at the country level.
This blog is where I think out loud.