Dr Marvellous Ngundu is an economist and policy researcher specialising in international and development economics, development finance, and Africa’s evolving economic partnerships with global partners. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Johannesburg, a Master of Commerce in Financial Economics from Great Zimbabwe University, and a BCom Honours in Banking and Finance from Midlands State University.
Dr Ngundu currently serves as a Senior Research Consultant with the African Futures and Innovation (AFI) programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa, where he applies the International Futures (IFs) modelling platform to forecast Africa’s long-term development trajectories. He has led national foresight projects for Zimbabwe, Tunisia, and Botswana, as well as continent-wide studies exploring Africa’s manufacturing future and financial flows to 2043, aligning with the third implementation phase of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
One of his flagship studies, Africa’s Manufacturing Foresight, projects that strategic policy interventions could raise manufacturing’s share of GDP by almost 2 percentage points above baseline by 2043, translating into US$168.2 billion in additional output, 34.6 million new jobs, US$81.6 billion more in government revenues, and lifting over 19 million people out of extreme poverty.
Dr Ngundu’s work sits at the intersection of rigorous empirical analysis and practical policy impact. He has authored over twenty peer-reviewed journal articles and numerous policy blogs, reports, and media commentaries, positioning him as a trusted voice in Africa’s economic transformation discourse. His insights are frequently sought in international conferences, expert panels, high-level policy dialogues, and broadcast media on Africa’s growth, industrialisation, trade, investment, and sustainable development.
Beyond his role at AFI-ISS, Dr Ngundu is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR) at Covenant University (Nigeria), Southern Africa Coordinator for DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre, and an Associate Member of the African Studies Centre Leiden (Netherlands). He also serves as a periodic Expert Consultant to Zimbabwe’s National Competitiveness Commission.
His previous research affiliations include the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) in Germany (Megatrends Afrika Research Fellow), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Postdoctoral Research Fellow), and the China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) (Research Fellow).
Recognised for blending a continental development lens with global strategic insight, Dr Ngundu advances evidence-based policy solutions that drive inclusive, sustainable, and globally competitive growth across Africa.