Published on November 10, 2026 – Updated on November 10, 2026

We are glad to welcome Assi Okara, who is an economist at the AfBD, as a research fellow


Assi Okara is a Senior Research Economist at the Department of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasts and Research at the African Development Bank Group (AfBD Group). He investigates the Bank's strategic research topics and emerging issues in the field of development. Among other responsibilities, he contributes to the institution's publications and reports, as well as to collective reflections on macroeconomic public policies and the drafting of new ones for member countries. 
An expert with high-quality academic publications
He focuses his work on the institutional and economic determinants of development, with particular interest in the stakes of economic transformation, governance, and development financing in African countries. He works on defining the margins of change to better allocate the State's resources and improve public services and public management. 

His research has appeared in prestigious journals such as Economic Modelling, The Journal of African Economics, The Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, and Education Economics. He recently published an article where he explores the connections between political instability and informal economy in World Development, a top-tier journal in the field. 
His academic journey from academia to international institutions
Assi Okara holds a PhD in Economics from the Université Clermont Auvergne. Patrick Plane (CNRS, CERDI) supervised his doctoral studies on foreign investment and governance. He is also a graduate of the École d'économie, UCA where he obtained a dual degree in development economics. 

Previously, he held several academic positions at Université Clermont Auvergne, Université Paris Nord, and ENS-Université Paris-Saclay. He also worked for international organizations like the World Bank. 

His experience and expertise will be very beneficial for our team. We are happy to have him on board!