Tanzanian Ansila is a former student of the African School of Economics (ASE), a pan-African University based in Benin. She graduated last December 2016 and is currently working with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) as a Senior Field Manager. Below is a summary of her professional experiences following her time at ASE.

After graduating from ASE, Ansila Kweka worked as data manager at WASO (Wake Up and Support Others) an organization engaged in HIV prevention interventions. Thereafter, she worked as a research assistant for different projects in Tanzania including the Program on Governance and Local Development (GLD). This Program aims to explain variation in governance and local development in an effort to promote human welfare globally. It gives insights into the role of state and non-state actors, to consider the relationship between local level factors (e.g., poverty, gender relations, elite dynamics, ethnic diversity, etc.) and governance.

Currently, Ansila is working with IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action) as a Senior Field Manager on the STRYDE (Strengthening Rural Youth Development Through Enterprise) 2.0 project in Mbeya, Tanzania.  Her main responsibilities are ensuring data integrity is maintained at all times, minimizing errors in recording all data, scheduling and attending meetings between IPA and Local Leaders, managing a team of Senior Field officers and Field officers,  supervising all the field work and ensuring consistent communication between all the team members.

She highlights: ‘’…all the skills I received from ASE, including courses and interactions with different people around the world through research seminars and summer school trainings, helped me to be where I am today. ASE does not teach people to be strong; it makes people strong’’.

What has stuck with you from ASE?

This school reminds me of a lot, one being interacting with a lot of good friends from around the world.