Bio
A career connecting evidence, policy, and public institutions
Biography
I am a development economist and policy specialist working at the intersection of applied research and public policy. I currently serve as a Quantitative Research Consultant with UNICEF Innocenti, supporting education studies and programme evaluations.
My interest in development economics began in Ghana through large-scale data collection and official statistics. Working with households, communities, and public institutions showed me how poverty and unequal opportunity appear both in national datasets and in people’s daily choices. That experience led me towards research that helps governments define problems and respond more effectively.
Over more than a decade, I have worked with universities, governments, and international organisations on education, gender, jobs, poverty, migration, social protection, agricultural markets, and climate resilience. My research uses household surveys, population censuses, administrative records, and mixed-method evidence, with an emphasis on rigorous analysis that can inform practical decisions.
That focus came together in The Gambia, where I led work on national policy-system reform, supported policy analysis and public-sector capacity development, and designed digital decision tools. My longer-term aim is to strengthen the relationship between evidence, public policy, and state capacity so institutions can diagnose problems clearly, make better decisions, and deliver more effectively.
Selected policy impact
Led The Gambia’s national policy-system diagnostic and Cabinet-approved development handbook.
Co-authored major World Bank diagnostics on education, gender, jobs, and poverty.
Built field, training, and evidence-use systems for 200+ research staff and more than 100 public officials.
Experience
Selected professional experience
A focused selection of roles most directly connected to research, policy, evaluation, teaching, and field systems.
May 2026–present
Quantitative Research Consultant
UNICEF Innocenti · Remote
Quantitative research, analytical frameworks, instruments, and methodological support for education studies and programme evaluations.
Oct 2025–May 2026
Research Consultant
World Bank · Remote / Washington, D.C.
Microeconometric analysis for The Gambia Economic Update across education, gender, jobs, migration, and reproductive health.
Feb 2025–Feb 2026
Volunteer Researcher
Global Youth Climate Challenge · Remote
Evidence synthesis and policy-facing research on youth climate action, climate education, finance, and locally led solutions.
Oct 2023–Jun 2025
Presidential Fellow
World Bank & ACET · The Gambia
Led national public-policy reform; supported government analysis, capacity development, executive dashboards, and the Chief Economists of Government Forum.
Mar 2023–Feb 2024
Assistant Professor
Woosong University · South Korea
Taught Global Economic Systems, Managerial Accounting, Financial Accounting, Business Management, and Financial Management; mentored students; and served on four doctoral dissertation committees.
Jul 2022–Mar 2023
Evaluation Assistant
Green Climate Fund · South Korea
Supported climate impact evaluations and the Second Performance Review through design, instruments, analysis, and evidence synthesis.
Nov 2021–Jun 2022
Research Consultant
World Bank · Remote / Washington, D.C.
Co-authored the education, gender, and jobs chapter of The Gambia Poverty and Gender Assessment.
Sep 2018–Feb 2020
Principal Research Assistant
ISSER · Ghana
Survey design, field operations, CAPI systems, data quality, harmonisation, analysis, and supervision of more than 200 field staff.
Aug 2014–May 2016
District Field Coordinator
Ghana Statistical Service
Coordinated national business-census and enterprise-survey activities across three municipalities.
Approach
Research depth, policy judgement, and delivery discipline
Research
Applied microeconometrics, impact evaluation, survey design, data harmonisation, reproducible analysis, and evidence synthesis.
Policy
Institutional diagnostics, appraisal, results frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and decision support.
Implementation
Field-team systems, practical tools, training, data-quality routines, dashboards, and sustained institutional adoption.
Education
Junior Abdul-Wahab 