Hyacinth Ichoku

I am currently a Professor of Economics with the Dept of Economics University of Nigeria – Nsukka. I am a Development Finance Economist with special interest in health financing. I have had intensive and diverse range of experience in the last ten years teaching, researching, publishing, and consulting on public finance and health sector specific financing issues in Nigeria and other African countries. My academic training started with degrees in philosophy and Divinity but has since 1992 focused mainly in economics with special interest in economics of health financing in which I obtained a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, in 2006. I have taught and published widely in the field of health and development public finance. I have also won several research grants from national and international organizations including the Poverty and Policy Research Network, Supported by IDRC Canada, Nigerian Communication Commission, African Economic Research Consortium, World Health Organization – Geneva, WHO-AFRO – Brazaville, National Research Foundation – South Africa, among others. My academic training has had interface with intensive consulting experience with several international organizations including the World Bank, USAID, DFID, EU, WHO-AFRO, IDRC, among others. The consultancy services have covered issues ranging from Public Expenditure Review, Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) to Medium Terms Expenditure Frameowork (MTEF) and Health Sector Strategic Planning. These activities have involved close interraction and partnerships with public finance managers, ministries of finance, health, budget offices, Boards of internal revenue, and planning and research departments among others. A philosophy that underlies my academic and practical work is that academic research should influence public finance practice and practice in turn should inform my academic work. I aim to bring my academic and research experiences to influence public decision-making through the collection, rigorous analysis and clear presentation of reliable information for evidence-based policy.