Our Team

Mr. Obey Assery Nkya is a professional economist with over 20 years of leadership experience in government, international development, and food systems policy. He holds a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and has served in several high-level roles, including Director of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture and Director for Coordination of Government Business in the Prime Minister’s Office, Tanzania.

His expertise spans program and policy planning, implementation, and evaluation—particularly in food security, nutrition, and agriculture sector reforms. Mr. Assery has worked with multilateral organizations including the World Food Programme (WFP), GAIN, and the World Bank, and has played strategic roles in national initiatives like the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) and the Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) program.

He brings to Uchumi Institute a wealth of experience in organizational leadership, policy research, investment facilitation, and technical advisory services. As CEO, he leads the institute’s mission to bridge policy, research, and implementation with a focus on inclusive and sustainable development.

Dr. Barney Laseko is a seasoned public administration and policy expert with over 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating development programs across Africa. Holding a PhD in Public Administration, an MBA, and a Bachelor of Commerce, he brings deep expertise in reforms that promote inclusive economic participation, particularly for the poor and private sector actors.

He has worked extensively with governments, multilateral institutions (including UNDP, UNHCR, and the World Bank), and consulting firms such as PwC and KPMG. His contributions span agriculture, livestock, land governance, trade, and social services, with notable achievements including the establishment of Tanzania’s Mercantile Exchange (TMX) and the development of the Agricultural Marketing Development Trust (AMDT) Catalytic Fund Manual.

At Uchumi Institute, Dr. Laseko leads on policy research, training, and fostering public-private dialogue to advance inclusive, evidence-informed reforms.

Mr. Servus Amo Sagday is a seasoned policy and planning expert with over 25 years of experience working across government, development agencies, and national reform processes in Tanzania. He brings deep expertise in policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and advocacy.

His contributions span from early reforms such as the First Rolling Plan and Forward Budget (1992–93) to high-level frameworks like the Tanzania Development Vision 2025, the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUKUTA), and all three Five-Year Development Plans (FYDPs). He has supported Tanzania’s engagement with global frameworks, including authoring the SDGs Voluntary National Review (2018–2019), and contributed to the design of national M&E systems such as the MKUKUTA Monitoring Master Plan and the MCC Compact II.

At Uchumi Institute, Mr. Sagday provides high-level advisory support in policy design, strategy development, M&E systems, and public sector communication—ensuring that research and reforms translate into measurable results for development.

Mr. Frederick Yona is an experienced economist with a strong background in trade policy, finance, and results-based monitoring and evaluation. He holds an M.A. in Economics from the University of Dar es Salaam and has previously served as an economist at the Bank of Tanzania and a Research Fellow at the University’s Economic Research Bureau.

With over 20 years of experience, Mr. Yona has led and supported strategic planning processes, feasibility studies, and project evaluations across sectors. He has worked on major evaluations including education, gender equity, and early marriage interventions, and helped shape strategic plans for institutions such as EWURA, TAHA, NIMR, and Zanzibar Ports Corporation.

At Uchumi Institute, he contributes expertise in macroeconomic policy analysis, institutional planning, and results-based evaluation, supporting evidence-driven approaches to policy and program implementation.

Diego Shirima is a data systems and research expert with over a decade of experience supporting high-impact studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. At Uchumi Institute, he leads data design, management, and analysis across projects in food systems, health, and social development—ensuring decisions are driven by high-quality evidence.

 He brings deep knowledge of tools such as STATA, R, ODK, KoboToolbox, ArcGIS, and SurveyCTO. Throughout his career, Diego has collaborated with leading institutions including the World Bank, FCDO, UNICEF, IFPRI, UNDP, and Harvard University. 

At Uchumi Institute, Diego supports a range of programs by ensuring that high-quality data fuels strategic insights — shaping better policies, stronger institutions, and more equitable outcomes in Tanzania and beyond.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Dr. Deusdedith Magere is a seasoned medical doctor with a deep-rooted passion for public health, food safety, and systems thinking. At Uchumi Institute, he serves as a Senior Advisor, leveraging his unique expertise at the intersection of health and agriculture to shape evidence-based policy, research, and capacity-building initiatives.

With a robust foundation in clinical practice and public health advocacy, Dr. Magere offers strategic guidance on issues such as urban health, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, food safety regulation, and One Health approaches. His work ensures that health outcomes remain central to Uchumi Institute’s food systems agenda, particularly in collaborations with local governments, development partners, and civil society.

Dr. Magere has also contributed to several high-impact national health surveys. As Assistant Team Lead and Field Tester with iCap, in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he played a key role in the Tanzania HIV Impact Survey (THIS 2022–2023). In this six-month project, he coordinated survey activities across multiple regions including Mwanza and Katavi—overseeing field testing, team operations, and daily reporting.

Most recently, Dr. Magere served as Assistant Team Lead, Interviewer, and Field Tester for the Welfare and Health of Youth and Children Survey (WHYS 2024), implemented by Tanzania Health Promotion Support (THPS). He led data collection efforts across 13 regions in the Lake Zone—such as Mwanza, Geita, and Kigoma—ensuring high-quality data reporting and delivering analytical summaries on youth and child health trends.

Dr. Magere is widely respected for his ability to translate complex technical knowledge into actionable insights, making him a trusted voice in cross-sector dialogues on sustainable development. His advisory work supports interventions that safeguard public health, promote food security, and strengthen market competitiveness.

He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, where he also gained additional training in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Mr. Ravi Kiran Mali is a highly experienced rural development expert with over 35 years of work across India, Tanzania, and Afghanistan. His expertise spans grassroots implementation, institutional strengthening, and high-level policy advisory in the agricultural and rural sectors.

He has led initiatives in rural finance, credit planning, infrastructure development, and the revitalization of both financial and non-financial rural institutions. Mr. Mali has consulted extensively for major development partners including the World Bank, IFAD, USAID, ADB, GIZ, and AGRA, with over 15 years of hands-on consultancy experience.

At Uchumi Institute, he contributes strategic insight into rural finance systems, institution-building, and inclusive agricultural transformation, grounded in deep field experience and a strong track record in capacity development.