Shahrukh Wani is IGC’s Senior Country Manager for Zambia. He also supports the establishment of the Zambia Evidence Lab in the Ministry of Finance.

Shahrukh (Shah) Wani is an economist and public policy strategist focused on advancing economic development in low- and middle-income countries. He brings over eight years of experience in leading research-policy partnerships and advising governments on enhancing state capability and improving the use of data and evidence in policy decisions.

Shah currently leads IGC’s work in Zambia, where he leads a multidisciplinary team of economists and data experts to support policymakers on growth-critical issues—from public finance and decentralisation to agricultural markets, urban governance, and critical minerals.

Shah has helped establish the Zambia Evidence Lab within the Ministry of Finance to institutionalise data use across government. The Lab’s work includes improving survey data accuracy using AI, developing tools for disease hotspot mapping, and training civil servants in evidence-based decision-making.

Previously, Shah worked with IGC’s Cities that Work initiative at the University of Oxford, advising governments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uganda on municipal finance and urban governance. He has collaborated with the World Bank, FCDO, and other development partners.

His work has been featured in the Financial Times, BBC, The Africa Report, and Al Jazeera, and he has represented IGC at several conferences. Shah studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science and was born and raised in Pakistan.