Dr. Dambisa Moyo

Global Economist and Author

In 2009, Zambian-born Dr. Dambisa Moyo was named by TIME Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” A global economist, she sees an ideological schism emerging between developed and developing countries. She argues that people naturally pivot towards economies and politics in a rational way, seeking better living standards in a short amount of time. Because of this, she sees a real challenge to Western ideals emerging – the system embodied by China which values state capitalism, deemphasizes democracy and prioritizes economic rights. No longer can liberty, political rights and democracy dominate global thinking when, today, 90% of the world’s population lives in emerging markets, and to them, political rights take a back seat to food, shelter, education, and healthcare.

Dr Moyo’s writing regularly appears in economic and finance-related publications such as the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.  Her work examines the interplay between rapidly developing countries, international business, and the global economy, while highlighting the key opportunities for investment.

She is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa and How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly and the Stark Choices Ahead.  She is a contributing editor to CNBC, the business and finance news network and a patron of Absolute Return for Kids (ARK), a hedge-fund supported children’s charity. 

Dr. Moyo completed a PhD in economics at Oxford University and holds a Masters degree from Harvard University. She completed an undergraduate degree in chemistry and an MBA in finance at American University in Washington, D.C.