MeliaCRED™
Seeing Europe and Africa grow together
About us
MeliaCRED grew out of my (Elvis's) research on private-sector growth. Starting in 2011, I have advised African governments and international institutions. My focus has been on digital transformation, private-sector growth, and foreign direct investment. In this capacity, I have worked with the governments of Kenya (MinICT), Ethiopia (MInT), and Rwanda (RDB & MINICT), as well as African private sector associations such as the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries. I have frequently worked for international institutions such as GIZ, Tony Blair Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, and Friedrich Ebert Foundation. At the University of Oxford, I worked with the Blavatnik School's Digital Pathways at Oxford (on African digital transformation). My current market focus is Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda, but I have written extensive case studies on Angola, Chad, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. I am a Research Associate at the University of Duisburg-Essen, a Member of INEF, and an Associate Researcher at IDOS in Bonn. If any of this sounds interesting to you, please connect with me on LinkedIn.
Anne Gichuku is a Research Associate and Co-Lead at MeliaCRED, where she has played a central role in the firm's research on AI, digital work, and labour market transformation across East Africa since 2018. With seven years of experience conducting multi-country studies, Anne specializes in data ecosystems, digital platform economies, and the economics of AI adoption in fast-growing markets. Her research contributions include coordinating Kenya's first comprehensive study to quantify the country's online workers and track their income trajectories for KEPSA and Rockefeller Foundation (2018-2019) which informed national policy dialogue on digital work; co-authoring "The 3 a.m. Phone Call: A Gendered Perspective of Online Workers in Kenya" (GIGA, 2024); and supporting research that informed Rwanda's national GBS investment promotion strategy (2021-2022). She brings expertise in data ecosystem mapping, mixed-methods research, and translating research insights into actionable policy recommendations. Anne is currently pursuing an MBA in Strategic Management & Project Management from Daystar University, a BCom in Accounting, and is a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). Connect with her on LinkedIn.
