MeliaCRED™
Seeing Europe and Africa grow together
About US
MeliaCRED is grew out of my (Elvis's) research on private sector develpment. Starting in 2011, I have advised African governments and international development partners. My focus has been on digital transformation, private sector development 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 development partners 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 the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF), and an Associate Researcher at German Institute of Development and Sustainability in Bonn. If any of this sounds interesting to you, please connect with me on LinkedIn.
Anne Gichuku is 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 socio-economic impacts of AI adoption in developing 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 inclusion; 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.
