What do you do?

I’m currently on USAID payroll but I work at the Ministry of Finance and Economic planning in Sudan. I am managing a pilot for a cash transfer project. At its core, the project is supposed to mitigate the shocks of lifting the subsidies that had been imposed on Sudan. For Sudan to unlock funding and investments from the World Bank, IMF, and IFC we need to cut our subsidies because it is drastically affecting the national budget. The program aims to reach 80% of the Sudanese population. We will work on transferring five dollars to each and every household member that has a national ID excluding the top 20%. We do not have any reliable income data in Sudan so we will be using Mobile data and electricity consumption as an exclusion benchmark. The program is not a poverty alleviation program as much as it is a financial inclusion and digital transformation program; my role is to plan and execute the pilot that targets 80,000 families. I am supported by a team from the World Bank and government employees. The program is in conjunction with a couple of ministers.

What advice do you have for students currently majoring in, or considering to major in Politics or IR?

I would encourage students to intern as early as they can and network, network, network. Attend speaker series and stay in touch with the speakers. Having the degree is good but you need to have the network that will enable you to put that degree into work.