Charles Abugre Akelyira has been an active anti-poverty campaigner for more than 20 years. Born in Ghana, he is a trained development economist and social policy commentator. Mr. Akelyira is currently the Regional Director for Africa at the UN Millennium Campaign, based in Nairobi, Kenya. The campaign supports and inspires citizens to hold their governments accountable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Prior to this, Mr. Akelyira worked as Head of the Global Policy and Advocacy Division for Christian Aid in London, UK. During this time, he was also a visiting lecturer on gender and macroeconomics at the University of Utah and the Levi Institute in New York, and a lecturer and research fellow at the University of Swansea, Wales, UK. He also served as Executive Director of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) and Coordinator of the Africa Secretariat of the Third World Network, both in Ghana.
Mr. Akelyira has a wide range of experience, from grassroots development work to international consultancies in social and economic development. He holds a MA in development economics from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, the Netherlands, a BA in economics and geography from the University of Ghana in Accra, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Wales in Swansea, UK.
