Horace Mahugnon Akim Gninafon holds a Masters in Mathematics, Economics and Statistics from the African School of Economics, and has worked with IREPE since 2014. In the past, he was a Research Assistant at the African School of Economics (ASE), where he worked on a diverse range of large-scale research projects, such as decentralization, employment, agriculture and local governance.

From 2017 to 2018, Mr. Gninafon also coordinated the Thematic Reading Group in Political Economy and Governance. His recent research has focused on education, violence, governance and natural disasters. Currently, he is interested in understanding the extent to which motivations can contribute to the engagement of citizens in the development of their commune through the payment of the taxes. He has also received a grant from the SOS Children’s Village for Social Impact Analysis in Benin.

ASE is happy to have Mr. Gninafon continue his work through his new appointment as the Associate Research Director. In this role, he will work closely with the IERPE’s research director on the quality control of research projects, as well as the oversight of research activities. He will also assist Professor Leonard Wantchekon in his role of Core Partner Director of the francophone countries of the Afrobarometer network.

When asked about what he looks forward to in his new role, he stated that he was “really excited to collaborate with researchers and students on new research topics related to the development economics.”