Professional Summary

Gildas Irakoze is a seasoned Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist with over 10 years of experience in international development, rural economics, and agricultural development. As Lead of ARNECH's Social and Economic Business Unit, he brings a uniquely multidisciplinary perspective to economic analysis, social business models, and sustainable financing across sub-Saharan Africa.

A multilingual professional, Gildas has worked across Burundi and East Africa on programmes spanning smallholder agriculture, financial inclusion, poverty reduction, and cooperative economic development. His dual expertise in agricultural business economics and social solidarity economics makes him exceptionally well-placed to bridge micro-level community dynamics with macro development strategies.

Education

Areas of Expertise

• Impact evaluation design and implementation for agriculture and rural development programmes
• Financial inclusion research : mobile money, savings groups, cooperative finance
• Value chain analysis for smallholder agriculture
• Social solidarity economy and cooperative development models
• Poverty measurement and socio-economic impact assessments
• Gender-responsive programme design and evaluation
• Qualitative and mixed-methods research in rural contexts

Selected Publications