Zainab Usman is currently at the Office of the Chief Economist, Africa Region, as a Public Sector Specialist. She joined the World Bank in 2016 as a Young Professional in the Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience (SURR) and later the Energy and Extractives (EEX) Global Practices.

Her interests are in the governance and institutions around natural resources management, energy sector reforms and economic policy in Africa as well as south-south economic relations. She holds a PhD in International Development from the University of Oxford.