The Brenthurst Foundation boosts Research Department with two senior appointments

The Brenthurst Foundation, Africa's preeminent think-tank focused on economic development on the continent, is increasing its research capacity with the appointment of Dr. Emmanuel Owusu-Sekyere as Research Deputy Director and Prof. Lyal White as Research Associate.

The appointment of the experienced academic researchers will bolster The Brenthurst Foundation's growing research workload across Africa.

Owusu-Sekyere joins The Brenthurst Foundation from The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) where he was Research Director of the Peace and Sustainable Development Unit. He was responsible for overseeing research projects with a particular focus on economic development and human security.

In his current role at the HSRC, he is managing a team of experts in sustainable development research, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, including economic security, migration and development, and youth development in Africa. Before joining the HSRC he worked as a Lecturer/Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Macroeconomics at the Economics Department, University of Pretoria.

The HSRC was established in 1968 with a mission of carrying out social science research for the benefit of governments and international development agencies. Owusu-Sekyere's research has been widely published in news media, academic journals and books.

Prof. White joins The Brenthurst Foundation having previously been Founding Director of the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. Under White's leadership the focus of the business school was on growing and scaling new business in Africa, committed to an innovative approach to learning that revisits the purpose of business that is both contextually relevant and sustainable.

White has vast experience in 'on-the-ground' research and advisory in new markets — especially in Africa and Latin America. He maintains the firm belief that strong institutions and connectedness build community, and this will harness long-term prosperity for people and organisations across the globe.

Dr Greg Mills, The Brenthurst Foundation Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Lyal and Emmanuel to the Foundation. They add an enormous amount of experience and expertise which bolsters further our exceptional research capacity and reflects the increased workload we continue to undertake. The world and the way we do business has been transformed in the last year and the challenge for our continent is to now turn this crisis into an opportunity. Our mission is to work with governments across Africa to make sure this happens.”

Jonathan Oppenheimer, Founder of the Brenthurst Foundation, said: “This is a really exciting time for The Brenthurst Foundation. The appointment of Prof. Lyal White and Emmanuel Owusu-Sekyere only reinforces our commitment, expertise and presence across the African Continent. We are delighted to have them as part of our team.”