Dr James Wakiaga is currently serving as the UNDP Resident Representative in Zambia. He previously served as the UNDP Resident Representative in Eritrea from 2019 – 2023 and as a Senior Economist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, respectively. Prior to these roles, he worked as Chief Economist/Director in Kenya’s Foreign Service and served as Economic Counsellor at the Kenya Embassy in Washington DC. He has contributed to several knowledge products on Poverty, MDGs, SDGs, Human Development and Economic Growth with a focus on Africa.

He is also a Member of External Reviewers Group (ERG) and Strategic Studies Group (SSG) for the African Capacity Indicators Report (ACIR). He holds a graduate of Economics Honours degree cum laude from University of Nairobi, a Master’s degree in Economics from Renmin University of China (RUC) and a Doctorate in Social Transformation from Tangaza University.

Some of his most recent publications include: (1) An examination of the structural linkages between households and community health services in realization of accelerated primary healthcare delivery in Kisumu County, Kenya by F1000 Research (2021); (2) A systematic review the authorship of Chapter One on “The post-2015 development agenda: building global convergence on policy options” - in the book entitled - Development in Africa: Refocusing the lens after the Millennium Development Goals, published by Policy Press. He takes a keen interest in African development policy discourse and writings.

He is married to Dr. Lucy Wakiaga and they are blessed with two children.