Public Policy (PP)

WASD has a long and distinguished history of advancing sustainable development (SD) through research, policy engagement, capacity building, and international collaboration. Building on this legacy, WASD has become a trusted consultancy provider supporting governments, institutions, and organisations in addressing complex governance and development challenges. Through its specialist institute, LISD, WASD delivers expert PP consultancy services to support governments, public institutions, and organisations in designing and implementing effective policy solutions. PP is critical in shaping national development, improving public services, and addressing economic, social, and environmental challenges. In today’s rapidly changing environment, governments and institutions require evidence-based, responsive, and forward-looking policies to meet citizen needs and deliver sustainable outcomes. Strong PP enhances governance, improves service delivery, strengthens accountability, and supports inclusive and sustainable development. It also enables institutions to respond effectively to emerging issues, manage public resources efficiently, and build public trust. Through our consultancy, WASD and LISD support clients in policy analysis, policy design, regulatory review, impact assessment, implementation planning, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. We help develop practical, evidence-based public policies aligned with strategic and national priorities. Our services are distinguished by an interdisciplinary, research-led approach delivered by world-class experts with extensive international experience in PP, governance, development, and institutional reform. This enables WASD and LISD to provide tailored, practical, and high-impact consultancy solutions that strengthen policymaking and support effective public sector performance.

Dr Gale Rigobert (Former Minister) St Lucia

She is the former Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development in Saint Lucia (2016-2021). Prior to becoming a parliamentary representative, a position she held on to for over nine (9) years (2011-2021), she was a government senator for a short period, which followed her role as advisor...

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Samia Melhem (Global Lead Digital Development World Bank) USA

Samia Melhem is a Lead Policy Specialist at the World Bank’s Digital Development and AI Vice Presidency, based in Washington DC. She manages digital government transformation operations, leveraging technologies to improve delivery of public services in all sectors. She is currently leading a large digital government investment project portfolio, and regional...

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Prof. John Adams (Herriot-Watt University) UK

Professor John Adams is a research degree (PhD and DBA) supervisor at the School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. His first degree is in Economics and Public policy from the University of the West of Scotland in 1978. He gained a PG Diploma in Education from the University...

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Prof. Ronald McQuaid (University of Stirling) UK

RONALD is Emeritus Professor of Work and Employment at the University of Stirling. He has a Bachelors degree from Lancaster University, an MSc(Econ) from London School of Economics and a doctorate from Harvard University. He was formerly a policy advisor to various public bodies, the Director of the Employment Research...

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Prof. Michael Busler (Stockton University) USA

Dr. Busler is a Professor of Finance at Stockton University in the USA. He has held positions at Pennsylvania State University, Delaware University, Rutgers University and Drexel University.  He teaches courses in Corporate Finance, managerial economics and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Busler is a known expert in Public Policy and Economics.  He...

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Prof. Lynette Louw (Rhodes University) South Africa

Lynette Louw is the interim Registrar at Rhodes University, appointed in the Raymond Ackerman Chair of Management, Department of Management, former Head of Management Department, and current Deputy Dean, Faculty of Commerce at Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa.  She received her Doctor Commercii  (Business Management) degree at the University...

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Prof. Liisa Laakso (Nordic Africa Institute) Finland

Liisa Laakso has acted in different national and international positions of trust including the Finnish Government’s Research and Innovation Council. Currently she is member of the Human Rights Committee of the Council of Finnish Academies. Before joining the Nordic Africa Institute she served as the Rector of the University of Tampere...

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Prof. Joseph Ntayi (Makerere University) Uganda

Joseph Ntayi is a Professor at Makerere University Business School and served as the former Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Energy, and Management Sciences at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), a position he relinquished in July 2023. Prior to this, he held several notable positions within the institution, including...

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Ambassador (Ret) Dr Petru Dumitriu (Former Ambassador to United Nations) Switzerland

Dr Petru is a Former Ambassador to the United Nations and since 2021, he is a Senior fellow and Lecturer, online post-graduate course on multilateral diplomacy, Diplo Foundation/University of Malta and he is also an independent consultant. Professional experience: 2016-2020 Inspector, D-2, Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations system, Geneva ...

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Prof. Intisar Soghayroun (Former Minister) Sudan

Professor Soghayroun is the Former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Sudan (September 2019 - October 2021) and Professor of Archaeology at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Khartoum(1991-2022). Expert at The Institute of Arabic Manuscripts June 2023 up to present. She has special interest...

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Prof. Dhiya Al-Jumeily OBE (Liverpool John Moores University) UK

Prof Dhiya Al-Jumeily OBE has 30+ years experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning. In 2020, Prof Al-Jumeily was appointed by her majesty “THE QUEEN to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, “OBE- Ordinary Officers of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order” for the “Services...

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Philip Luce (Cromwell Hospital) UK

Philip Luce Chief Executive Officer, Cromwell Hospital, Former Director of Bupa's Nationwide Network of Health and Dental Centres UK. Philip started his career at Cromwell Hospital in 2011 as the Cardiology & Medical Directorate Manager, before becoming Operations Director a couple of years later – heading up the refurbishment of all wards,...

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Prof. Jerry Kolo (American University of Sharjah) UAE

Jerry Kolo is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Architecture and Design at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, UAE. Prior to joining AUS in 2008/2009, he was a Professor at Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, where he also founded and directed...

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Dr Emad AlJaaly (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) UK

Mr. Emad AlJaaly is a distinguished consultant cardiac and minimally invasive surgeon based at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, in the Hammersmith Hospital. With an impressive career spanning over two decades in the United Kingdom and more than a decade internationally, he stands out as a refined surgeon, a confident...

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Claire Hook (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) UK

Claire Hook Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Claire joined the Trust in 2013 as divisional director of operations for medicine and integrated care, before moving into the executive team as director of operational performance in January 2019. In July 2021, Claire was appointed chief...

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Prof. Muhammad Aziz Rahman (Federation University) Australia

Professor Dr Muhammad Aziz Rahman is an experienced academic, a medical doctor and a public health professional. Following completion of medical graduation (MBBS), he completed his post-graduation in Public Health (MPH, PhD). Currently, he is working as the Associate Dean of Research at the Institute of Health and Wellbeing and...

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Dr Mayada Abu Affan (Director of Public Health) UK

Dr. Mayada Abu Affan is the Interim Director of Public Health at Hammersmith and Fulham Council. She was the Former Director of Public Health and Wellbeing and Consultant in Public Health with Dudley Local Government leading on maternal and child health, reproductive health, healthy ageing and the lead for Public Heath training...

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Dr Andrew Chukwuemeka (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust) UK

Mr Andrew Chukwuemeka Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Hospital Medical Director – Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He qualified from the University of London (St Thomas' Hospital Medical School) in 1992 and trained in London (Royal Brompton, Hammersmith, Guy's and St Thomas, King's College hospitals). He completed a fellowship at the University...

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Prof. Luisa Maure (Universidad de Panama) Panama

Professor Luisa Morales-Maure is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Natural, Exact, and Technology Sciences of the University of Panama. With a Bachelor's in Mathematics (UP), a Master's in Mathematics and its Didactics (UAEH, México), and a PhD in Didactics of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences (University of Barcelona), she...

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Dr Joyce Capelli (Instituto Melhores Dias) Brazil

President and executive director of Instituto Melhores Dias, expert in the formation of collaborative public-private partnerships that leverage the unique skills and resources of corporations, government and community groups to sustain vital education, health and community development programs in Brazil and other countries. Degree in dental sciences, master’s in dentistry,...

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Dr Muna Abdel Aziz (Former Director of Public Health Manchester) UK

Dr Muna Abdel Aziz is a retired Director of Public Health in the UK who now freelances as an Executive Coach and Mentor. She is a Fellow of the global Institute of Leadership, a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health UK, and the International CPD Adviser for the Faculty. Together with...

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Dr Adil Dafa'Alla (Airbus Operations Ltd.) UK

Adil is a British national of Sudanese origin. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Khartoum, Sudan in 1981. He completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in England, where he was awarded M.Sc. degree in Thermofluids in 1985 and...

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Dr Ibrahim Alfaki (United Arab Emirates University) UAE

Ibrahim Mohamed Abdalla Alfaki is an associate professor of statistics in the Department of Statistics and Business Analytics at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). He holds a PhD in applied statistics from Edinburgh Napier University and advanced postgraduate qualifications in applied and computational statistics from UK institutions. His research...

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Dr Mohamed Hassan-Sayed (University of Southampton) UK

Mohamed is an experienced academic with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and industry for 20 years. Skilled in Chemical and Energy systems, a Chartered Energy Engineer From the Energy Institute and a Chartered Engineer from the Institute of Engineering and Technology as well chartered Manager from the...

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Dr Ihab Tewfik (University of Westminster) UK

Ihab is a Registered Nutritionist and UNICEF-UN consultant with significant expertise in planning, implementing and evaluating sustainable public health nutrition intervention programmes at population level. Ihab has developed an independent research career that underpins the pivotal role of medical nutrition in regulating complications of chronic diseases through Tailored Functional Recipes...

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Professor Michael Busler (New Jersey - USA) is a Professor of Finance at Stockton University in the USA. He has held positions at Pennsylvania State University, Delaware University, Rutgers University and Drexel University. He teaches courses in Corporate Finance, managerial economics and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Busler is a known expert in Public Policy and Economics. He has published more than 65 refereed journal articles and nearly 1000 opinion columns in major publications. In addition, he has given hundreds of interviews on both syndicated radio and on network tv stations.
Professor Allam Ahmed (London - UK) is a Professor of Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development; Co-Founder of SMART KM MODEL: An Integrated Knowledge Management Framework for Organizational Excellence and led the implementation of the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa Knowledge Management Framework Musharaka. Founding President of WASD; SDGs Universities Initiative; Middle Eastern Knowledge Economy Institute; Fellow Faculty of Public Health, UK; Fellow Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK; and Fellow Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development, Australia. Prior to QMUL, Prof. Ahmed spent 15 years at the University of Sussex Science Policy Research Unit (1st science and policy think tank in the UK) where he established and led Sussex’s most successful postgraduate programme MSc International Management.
Dr Gale Rigobert (Saint Lucia - Caribbean) is Former Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of St. Martin (USM), in the Dutch Caribbean. She is the former Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development in Saint Lucia (2016-2021). Prior to becoming a parliamentary representative, a position she held on to for over nine (9) years (2011-2021), she was a government senator for a short period, which followed her role as advisor on national development to the Government of Saint Lucia (2010-2011). Dr. Rigobert was appointed Leader of the Opposition in 2013, the first woman to hold such office in the island of Saint Lucia. Her career path has taken her through the hallowed walls of academia, with her career spanning several countries and institutions: The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago (2002-2010); SPRU, University of Sussex (2009), the United Kingdom; Anton de Kom University, Suriname (2009); the Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre (IGDC), University of York (2021-2022) and now the University of St. Martin.
Professor Jerry Kolo (UAE) is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Architecture and Design at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, UAE. Prior to joining AUS in 2008/2009, he was a Professor at Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, where he also founded and directed an applied research center, Center for Urban Redevelopment and Empowerment (CURE). His areas of teaching and research specialization are urban economic development, environmental planning and sustainable community planning. Jerry has an extensive consulting track record in the areas of municipal economic development, university-community partnerships, and community empowerment. For his community and public service, Jerry has earned several awards, including the State of Florida Governor’s Public Service Award in 1994, and the Florida African-American Achiever’s Award in 1999.
Dr Joyce Capelli (São Paulo - Brazil) is the President and Executive Director of Instituto Melhores Dias, expert in the formation of collaborative public-private partnerships that leverage the unique skills and resources of corporations, government and community groups to sustain vital education, health and community development programs in Brazil and other countries. She holds a degree in dental sciences, master’s in dentistry, specialization in administration for the third sector, graduated by the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance, training in depth psychology.
Dr Ibrahim Alfaki (UAE) is an Associate Professor of statistics in the Department of Statistics and Business Analytics at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). His research focuses on applied econometrics, spatial and statistical modeling, and data-driven policy analysis, with particular applications in road safety systems, economic and financial analytics, and the measurement of knowledge-based economies. His work emphasises the use of quantitative and data analytics methods, such as time series and econometric modeling, to support evidence-based decision-making and institutional performance evaluation. Professor Alfaki has contributed to national policy research, including the UAE Human Development Reports, in collaboration with government and international organizations. He has also served on the Scientific Committee of the Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre. In addition, he is a member of editorial advisory boards of several international journals, including WJEMSD, WJSTSD, and IJIKMMENA. His work reflects a sustained contribution to statistical applications in sustainable development and public policy.

Professor Liisa Laakso (Helsinki - Finland) Liisa Laakso has acted in different national and international positions of trust including the Finnish Government’s Research and Innovation Council. Currently she is member of the Human Rights Committee of the Council of Finnish Academies. Before joining the Nordic Africa Institute she served as the Rector of the University of Tampere and before that as the Dean at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Science. She was a professor and UNESCO Chair at the University of Jyväskylä in 2004, in the field of Development and International Cooperation.
Professor Intisar Soghayroun (Khartoum - Sudan) is the Former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Sudan (September 2019 - October 2021) and Professor of Archaeology at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Khartoum(1991-2022). Expert at The Institute of Arabic Manuscripts June 2023 up to present. She has special interest in the theoretical archaeology, Islamic civilization, Archaeology and Museums studies, Ancient technologies, Theatrical Archaeology as well as Gender Archaeology. A research fellow at Bergen University, Norway in 2008 and ST, John’s college/Cambridge University, UK in 2000 and held a number of administrative positions at University of Khartoum such Dean, Faculty of Arts, and Dean, Deanship for Scientific Research. A member of national, regional and international associations of Archaeologists. Also worked as a consultant for a numbers of organizations such as Ethiopia-Sudan Power System Interconnection, Red Sea Power Plant, SMEC International PTY LTD and Consultancy Service for lake Nasser/Nubia Watershed. A member of United Nations General Assembly Science Summit (UNGASS) 2021 up to present.
Professor Luisa Maure (Panama City - Panama) is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Natural, Exact, and Technology Sciences of the University of Panama. With a Bachelor's in Mathematics (UP), a Master's in Mathematics and its Didactics (UAEH, México), and a PhD in Didactics of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences (University of Barcelona), she has dedicated her career to transforming mathematics education. She leads the GIEM21 research group, fostering innovation in teacher training and inclusive education. As president of the APANAC Congress 2023 and a member of Panama’s National Research System (SNI-SENACYT), she promotes science for development. Her work aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in quality education (SDG 4) and gender equality (SDG 5). She has collaborated internationally to advance educational policies and was honored with the title Cavaliere of the Order of the Star of Italy for her contributions to science diplomacy and academic cooperation.
Ambassador (Ret) Dr Petru Dumitriu (Geneve - Switzerland) is a Former Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the Council of Europe to the United Nations in Geneva. Currently Senior Fellow and Lecturer on Multilateral Diplomacy postgraduate courses, Diplo Foundation/University of Malta. Former member of the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit and Editor of numerous reports including: Strengthening the policy research uptake in service of the 2030 Agenda for SD, Role of PPPs in the Implementation of Agenda 2030, Knowledge Management in the UN System
Samia Melhem (Washington - USA) is a Lead Policy Specialist at the World Bank’s Digital Development and AI Vice Presidency, based in Washington DC. She manages digital government transformation operations, leveraging technologies to improve delivery of public services in all sectors. She is currently leading a large digital government investment project portfolio, and regional research on Digital Skills for Jobs; as well as AI’s impact on the digital economy. During her career at the WBG, Samia managed digital transformation projects/operations in East and Central Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa. She authored several publications on Telecoms Policy and Regulation, Digital government, Digital Economy, Digital Capabilities and Skills, Cloud computing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Open data, PPP, and Bridging the gender digital divide. In May 2025, Samia received an award from the Arab League for her Digital Economy work in the MENA region. In addition to her current role at the World Bank, Samia started teaching at George Washington University.