Tijan M. Sallah is an economist and currently manager, Capacity Development and Partnerships Unit of the Africa Region, the World Bank. He has published articles and books extensively on political economy, agricultural development, literary and art criticism, ethnography, biography, poetry, and short stories. Described by critics as one of the most important African poets and writers following the generation of Nobel Laureate playwright Wole Soyinka and novelist Chinua Achebe, Sallah's most recent books are a biography of Africa's most famous novelist, Chinua Achebe: Teacher of Light and Dream Kingdom: New and Selected Poems. His works have been featured over NPR and the BBC