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Reader, Development Economics in Africa and Director, African Leadership Centre, King's College London

Dr Eka Ikpe is Director and Reader (Development Economics in Africa) at the African Leadership Centre at King's. Her research offers a critical understanding of socio-economic transformation processes which advances concept-building that centres spaces in Africa and parts of the Global South across the fields of economic development and peace and security. Current themes of interest include, developmentalism, industrial development and structural transformation, peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction and the economic costs of conflict and creative economies. Her research has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council-Global Challenges Research Fund, the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council, Carnegie Corporation of New York and the International Development Research Centre.

Eka is Co-Editor of Peace, Society and the State in Africa and African Perspectives of Leadership and Peacebuilding (Bloomsbury Press) and on the editorial boards of Africa Development, African Security Review and Journal of Leadership and Developing Societies. She is on the Research Advisory Committee of Women for Women International.

Eka's research has supported the work of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Economic Community of West African States, UK Ministry of Defence, UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Africa, UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (formerly DFID). Eka has commented on development, peace and security in Africa for BBC World News, BBC Radio 4, Al Jazeera and Radio France International.

Eka holds a BA in Economics from the University of Leeds, MSc in Economics (with reference to Africa) and a PhD in Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Experience

  • –present
    Reader, Development Economics in Africa and Director, African Leadership Centre, King's College London

Education

  • 2011 
    SOAS, PhD Economics