Ibrahima Aidara

Deputy Africa Director Natural Resource Governance Institute

Dr. Ibrahima Aidara is currently the Deputy Africa Director at NRGI. He plays a critical role in advancing NRGI’s mission by strengthening strategy and systems for quality program delivery and effectiveness across Africa. Prior to joining NRGI, Dr. Aidara served as Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for Public Policies and Director of the Public Policy Research Unit at LASPAD, Gaston Berger University. In this role, he led rigorous research and policy analysis to inform governance reforms, institutional development, and inclusive policy solutions across West Africa. Dr. Aidara served as Deputy Regional Executive Director at Open Society-Africa, where he steered the development of the “One Africa” strategy. He also held senior roles at the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, including Executive Director, where he led policy reform initiatives on economic governance, transparency, and institutional resilience. Earlier in his career, Dr. Aidara held technical and leadership roles with UNDP, Oxfam, Consumers International and the Ministry of Economics & Planning of the Republic of Senegal, focusing on macroeconomic policy, extractive industries, Fiscal policy reform, climate and energy transitioning, financing for development and public sector reform. Dr. Aidara holds a PhD in Economics and advanced degrees in macroeconomics, economic policy, and development studies. His research and publications focus on fiscal policy, natural resource governance, and development financing.