“Africa is poor because she is not free.”

Dr. George Ayittey runs the Free Africa Foundation, which he established in Washington, D.C., to serve as a catalyst for change in Africa. Ayittey was born in Ghana, West Africa. There he obtained his primary education and B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ghana. He then left Ghana for Canada to pursue post graduate studies and secured his Ph.D. at the University of Manitoba in 1981. Ayittey worked as a professor at American University, in Washington, DC, Wayne State College in Nebraska and Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. He was listed among the “World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals” by Foreign Policy magazine and selected among the “World’s Top 100 Global Thinkers.” His expertise has also been essential for the World Bank, USAID, International Council on Metals and the Environment, National Bar Association, International Monetary Fund, U.S. State Department, U.S. Foreign Service, and United Nations Development Program.