Staff

Josephine Osikena

Director

Josephine Osikena was appointed Director of the Foreign Policy Centre in August 2010. Prior to this, she was the director of the FPC's Democracy and International Development programme. Josephine's research is principally, but not exclusively, focused on Africa south of the Sahara. She has developed considerable expertise in areas including: economic growth, environmental sustainability, regional integration, women and development, corporate responsibility, governance, the reform of global multilateral institutions and the influence of migration and diasporas on international development.

Josephine's work explores the interface between the private sector, civil society and public policy reform, and how all of these influence state transformation in Africa. In 2010, this work will include exploring the development and governance impact of banking and financial services in Africa, the transformative impact of women in enterprise in the developing world and the significance of water scarcity for today's foreign policy agenda.

Josephine has also recently contributed a chapter to a book for Routledge (2010) exploring the creation of the new US Department of Defence military headquarters devoted to Africa - Africa Command (AFRICOM). Her chapter explores the relative impact of US influence in Africa in light of the emergence of new global centres of power, including Brazil, India and China.

Josephine's media experience includes writing short articles for media outlets such as the Financial Times quarterly 'This is Africa'. She has also provided on the record briefings to: GlobalPost, the Independent, Newsweek and Reuters, as well as appeared on Al-Jazeera, BBC Four News, CNBC, Colourful Radio, BBC Radio Five Live, the BBC World Service's Network Africa and Voice of America (VoA).

Before joining the FPC in 2005, Josephine completed various interim assignments in central and local government, including at the Cabinet Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. She has an MSc in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London and a BA (Hons) in Economics and French.

Email: josephine.osikena[at]fpc.org.uk

FPC Articles

• The silent crisis: Global water scarcity reshaping future foreign policy
• A crisis is too good to waste

FPC Publications

• Tackling the world water crisis: Reshaping the future of foreign policy
• Geopolitics beyond Washington? Africa's alternative security and development partnerships' by Josephine Osikena
• Women and Children First: Leadership and the HIV & AIDS Crisis in Africa
• Re-exploring Multilateralism
• Understanding Women's Social Capital