"I joined AGI's Sierra Leone team in September 2008 off the back of a couple of eventful years working for the UN in Zimbabwe. Before that I had worked in the UK, at McKinsey and then the NHS. 18 months in Freetown absolutely flew by. My work focussed on building up the Strategy and Policy Unit in the Office of the President. It was hugely challenging, but massively rewarding when it went right, like when we managed to complete the hydropower project and get power to Freetown for the first time! For me two things made this job unique - first, the access and trust granted to us is incredible - working at the heart of a foreign government, not to mention with Tony and the President, was a real eye-opener and gives you a chance to make a difference on the big decisions. Second, our team comprises civil servants, management consultants, investment bankers and development professionals - a real all-stars team and it's been awesome working together. Combine that with the best beaches in West Africa, the sunny weather and super-friendly local people, I'm definitely missing this place... "

"Before joining AGI, I had been a maths teacher, a civil servant in DCSF, and a management consultant (on public sector projects) for too many years. I took a year’s sabbatical in 2007 and volunteered in East Africa, so I was delighted to get back here as part of the AGI team. I work for the Prime Minister’s Office in the Government of Rwanda, with another AGI colleague in a unit based on the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in the UK. My role was to help my Rwandan colleagues move from monitoring progress to driving delivery, and to build their capacity and professional skills. It was frustrating sometimes, but the rewards are huge. We saw  our counterpoints blossom; taking responsibility for their work and thinking ahead, and focusing on the policy priorities which makes a real difference to Rwanda. Being able to use my experience of what I'd seen work (and not work!) in the UK to help a country like Rwanda was genuinely exciting. Although I had some great projects as a consultant, this felt the closest to the heart of government that I’d been, and we were made very welcome. More trivially, Rwanda is beautiful, the coffee’s great, the flowers are huge and brighter than in England, and the team is one of the best I’ve ever worked in!"