Rasha Abdel-Hakim

I am Dr. Rasha Abdel-Hakim. I am currently a free lance senior economic advisor. I have more than 36 years of experience as a senior international development professional specializing in policy reform and program design and management with technical expertise in macroeconomic stabilization and reform, public finance, workforce development, labor market efficiency, revamping technical secondary education, customs reform, regulatory reform, industrial policy, competition policy, institutional strengthening, private sector competitiveness, and ease of doing business. I was the Senior Economic Counselor at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Egypt until June 2023. I was one of the few current USAID Foreign Service Nationals worldwide who were promoted to the exceptional Grade. I have 29 years of experience with USAID, during which I interacted and cooperated extensively with multilateral organizations and donor agencies. I have been the lead technical team member negotiating multiple multi-million-dollar bilateral agreements with the Government of Egypt (GOE) and other counterparts. I represented USAID in the macroeconomic stabilization, workforce development, and TVET sectors by developing and maintaining contacts with high-level GOE officials, such as Ministers, Governors, private sector organizations, partner organizations, and other senior development organization representatives. I have effectively led the design process for various programs from the concept phase to the completion phase including the evaluation and procurement phases. I have managed projects worth more than $166 million. In addition, I was the team leader for USAID’s USD 200 million Budget Support Policy Reform Program. Before joining USAID, I worked as an economic advisor to the Minister of International Cooperation and an economic consultant with different research institutions. I received my Ph.D. in economics from Cairo University and my thesis addressed the impact of investing in human capital on economic growth. Some of the policy considerations presented in my thesis are currently being adopted by the Egyptian government. I received my B.A. and M.A. in economics from the American University in Cairo. I am the author of several research papers in the field of international trade, growth diagnostics and competition policy and contributed to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report of 2007. I was also a part-time assistant professor of economics at the American University in Cairo.