Institution
Presidency
Position
Programme Analyst: Presidential Employment Stimulus
Expertise
Development studies
Name
Zak
Surname
Essa
Short CV

After an honours degree in Economics from the University of Cape Town, I made my way down to the rural Eastern Cape to work at the Bulungula Incubator, an organisation committed to sustainably ending poverty in a generation. Living in Nqileni Village, I was surrounded by people who were committed to a better future for everyone in the region and to preserving strong social cohesion and vibrant community life. In 2021, I migrated northwards to study for a Masters in Development Studies at the University of Oxford where I aspired to build a toolkit to better understand the world's inequalities: I learned why politics matters, why history's ills linger long after liberation, and about the dangers of searching for silver bullet solutions to complex problems. While at Oxford I worked as a Research Assistant for the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and was elected as a Global Leadership Initiative Fellow. I am currently supporting the Presidential Employment Stimulus - a large Public Employment programme coordinated through the Project Management Office in the Presidency - where I am particularly interested in understanding how Public Employment can build livelihood pathways out of poverty and its role in responding to the climate crisis. 

Member for

1 year 2 months
Photo/Picture
email address

A forum for economic policy debate

Econ3x3 promotes analysis and debate on unemployment and employment, income distribution and inclusive growth in South Africa. It publishes accessible research- and expertise-based articles and provides a forum for engagement between research and policy making. We invite contributions from economists and other social science researchers, policy advisors and independent experts.

About Us