Okodua, Henry
Professional Profile
Senior economist, policy analyst and applied quantitative modeller with more than 20 years of experience spanning development consulting, policy research, university teaching, institutional diagnostics and capacity strengthening across Africa. Brings a distinctive combination of advanced analytical capability, practical policy engagement and strong communication skills, with particular expertise in agrifood systems transformation, agricultural and trade policy, computable general equilibrium modelling, microsimulation, poverty and distributional analysis, climate adaptation, energy transition, public finance and regional economic integration.
Served as a Senior Scientist in the Policy Intelligence Department of AKADEMIYA2063 (June 2024 – August 2026), where he contributed to multi-country programmes that generate evidence for policy dialogue, strategic planning, investment prioritisation and decision-making in agriculture and food systems. His work includes designing analytical frameworks, developing and applying economy-wide and household-level simulation models, conducting institutional and policy diagnostics, interpreting complex quantitative results and translating technical findings into actionable recommendations for governments, development partners, research organisations and regional institutions. His portfolio covers assignments related to the Kampala CAADP agenda, national agricultural investment planning, trade outlook analysis, climate mitigation and adaptation, food-system innovation, agricultural transformation, poverty reduction and inclusive development.
He has contributed to projects and consulting assignments supported by or undertaken for organisations including the World Bank, AGRA, USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IDRC, GIZ, IFPRI, ECOWAS, the African Union and national policy institutions. His experience includes country diagnostics, policy and programme assessments, economy-wide scenario analysis, market and trade analysis, investment-climate monitoring, institutional capacity assessment, stakeholder consultation, technical report preparation, validation workshops and the development of policy tools and knowledge products. He has worked across multiple African countries and is experienced in multidisciplinary, multicultural and geographically dispersed teams.
An accomplished applied modeller, he works with computable general equilibrium models, microsimulation models, econometric methods, gravity models, macroeconomic simulation and scenario-based policy analysis. His technical toolkit includes GAMS, Stata, EViews, Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and related data-management and reporting platforms. He is able to manage the full analytical cycle—from conceptualisation, data preparation and model calibration to simulation, sensitivity analysis, interpretation, visualisation and presentation of results to technical and non-technical audiences.
Alongside his consulting and policy work, he has nearly two decades of university experience in teaching, postgraduate supervision, academic leadership and research. He has taught Mathematical Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Macroeconomics and Computable General Equilibrium Modelling at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. He has successfully supervised nine PhD theses, supported additional doctoral and master’s research, assessed postgraduate work externally and mentored researchers in quantitative methods, research design, academic writing and publication. This academic foundation strengthens his ability to design and deliver training programmes, technical manuals, learning materials and capacity-development interventions for analysts, researchers and policymakers.
His professional strength lies in connecting rigorous analysis with implementation realities. He does not approach assignments as purely technical modelling exercises; he considers the institutional, financing, political-economy, delivery-capacity and stakeholder dimensions that influence whether policy recommendations can be implemented and sustained. He is particularly effective at synthesising large volumes of quantitative and qualitative evidence, identifying strategic priorities, explaining trade-offs and producing clear, decision-oriented outputs.
He brings a strong record of analytical leadership, assignment delivery, stakeholder engagement, proposal development, knowledge production and capacity strengthening. His profile is especially relevant to consulting and advisory assignments in agrifood systems, market systems, inclusive finance, agricultural investment, climate-resilient development, trade and regional integration, gender-responsive policy analysis, institutional reform and evidence-informed programme design.
He combines extensive experience with a commitment to maintaining current technical skills, adapting analytical approaches to emerging development challenges and presenting his expertise through clearly defined assignments, tools, clients and deliverables, consistent with market-readiness expectations.
