Summary:

• Prof. Victor Murinde appointed as new Executive Director of AERC, bringing over 25 years of experience in financial economics. His strategic leadership will drive AERC’s mission as a premier economic policy research institution in Africa.

The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Board has announced the appointment of Prof. Victor Murinde as the organisation’s new Executive Director.

Joining AERC from SOAS University of London, where he has been serving as an AXA Professor of Global Finance, Prof Murinde is a distinguished financial economist with more than 25 years of experience post-PhD, mainly involving university research and teaching but also including senior-level stints in practitioner, policy, and consultancy roles for governments and leading international organisations.

While confirming the appointment, AERC Board Chairman Prof. Ernest Aryeetey emphasized Prof Murinde’s key strategic role at the helm of AERC. “The Board of AERC is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Murinde, who will spearhead management strategies geared at inspiring and driving the organisation forward as one of the most authoritative economic policy research and capacity building institutions in Africa,” Prof Aryeetey said. He added, “Prof Murinde holds outstanding credentials and has been competitively recruited to advance and provide transformative leadership for AERC while working with a pool of distinguished network members and talented staff at our Nairobi headquarters.”

Prof Murinde enjoys fundamental knowledge of the AERC, its mandate, structure, and the operationalisation of the AERC Strategic Plan, having previously served on the AERC Programme Committee and across the research, training, and policy outreach components.

In his scholarly endeavours, Prof Murinde has contributed over 120 research papers on economics, banking, and finance topics. He was also the founding Director of the African Development Institute at the African Development Bank (2011-2014); and carried out major consultancy projects for a range of international organizations.