Pascal Mensah
Despite decades of aid and reform efforts, per-capita growth in Sub-Saharan Africa has been nearly zero for the last decade. Without sustained growth, there are no formal jobs and no investment which means people cannot escape poverty.
The Idea
Homegrown, Pro-Growth Economic Agendas
Organization
Organization
The Economic Policy Network
Year
Geography
Sector
Structure
The Mission
Economic growth.
How It Works
Economic Policy Network helps governments design and implement pro-growth economic reforms grounded in local realities and data. EPN works alongside reform-minded leaders to identify the political and economic barriers, adapt proven economic policies that fit their context, and support the coalitions that can see those reforms through.
The Dream
Economists help adapt proven, pro-growth economic policies to specific countries' needs and contexts, so that governments create their own homegrown, pro-growth economic agendas. As governments prioritize sustained growth, investment and jobs flow into their countries to lift and keep people out of poverty.
Why We Picked Pascal
Pascal Mensah is the rare kind of entrepreneur who combines real-world experience, operational know-how, and a gift for turning complex economic theory into something governments can actually use. Together with Stefan Dercon—former DFID chief economist and author of Gambling on Development—he founded the Economic Policy Network to help governments and economists work side by side for sustained growth. They’re already scoring big wins, like recent tariff reforms in Pakistan. The next challenge: building a method that works anywhere but still adapts to local realities—an ambitious, and essential, step forward.
