Samer Elchahabi joins IDinsight as West and North Africa Regional Director

July 14, 2025 – IDinsight is pleased to announce the appointment of Samer Elchahabi as the Regional Director for West and North Africa. Samer will lead our regional strategy, focusing on strengthening partnerships rooted in local leadership and translating evidence into policies that improve lives – blending systems thinking and people-centred leadership.

With two decades of experience in governance, evidence-informed policy, civic engagement, and inclusive development across North Africa, the Middle East, and West Africa, Samer brings a strategic lens to some of the world’s most dynamic and complex settings.

Prior to IDinsight, Samer held senior roles at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Creative Associates, and Qatar Foundation International (QFI). 

At IFES, he directed flagship democracy assistance efforts in Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco, working closely with electoral commissions, civil society actors, and policymakers to advance institutional resilience. At NRC, he coordinated humanitarian programming across the Sahel, promoting participatory approaches in displacement settings. Over the years, he has helped secure and manage funding from USAID, FCDO, SDC, the Open Society Foundations, and other leading donors, building lasting partnerships with governments, grassroots organizations, and multilateral institutions.

“IDinsight is unique in that it starts with the priorities with those closest to the challenges and then matches them with rigorous evidence and the support of committed partners. I’m energized to translate the rich insights emerging from West and North Africa into concrete actions that improve lives.”

 

– Samer Elchahabi, Regional Director, West and North Africa

IDinsight works with governments, NGOs, multilateral agencies, and other partners across West and North Africa. With offices based in Dakar, Senegal and Rabat, Morocco, Samer will drive forward IDinsight’s mission of improving lives with data and evidence in the region – working alongside communities to turn knowledge into just and lasting impact.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Samer to IDinsight. His deep regional roots and systems mindset are exactly what this moment calls for. With his leadership, we’re poised to deepen our partnerships and accelerate the impact of evidence across West and North Africa.”

 

– Becca Sharp, CEO, IDinsight

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About IDinsight

IDinsight is a mission-driven global advisory, data analytics, and research organization that helps global development leaders maximize their social impact. We tailor a wide range of data and evidence tools, including randomized evaluations and machine learning, to help decision-makers design effective programs and rigorously test what works to support communities. We work with governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, and innovative non-profit organizations in Asia and Africa. We work across a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, and financial inclusion. We have team members who are remote and have offices in Dakar, Lusaka, Manila, Nairobi, New Delhi, and Rabat.