Mr. Danford Sango

Head of Governance and Capacity Building

Mr. Danford Sango is a Development Economist with over twenty years of experience in policy research, development practice, and evidence-informed policymaking in Tanzania. His work focuses on the analysis of public policies that shape economic growth, agricultural development, and poverty reduction. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to strengthening the role of research evidence in national policy processes and promoting dialogue between researchers and policymakers.

Mr. Sango has built his professional career within two of Tanzania’s leading policy research institutions: the Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) and the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF). He served as a Researcher at REPOA from 2004 to 2012 before joining ESRF as a Senior Research Fellow, where he continues to contribute to research and policy engagement on key development challenges facing Tanzania.

He has played a key role in several flagship national analytical publications, including the Poverty and Human Development Reports (PHDRs) and the Tanzania Human Development Reports (THDRs), which have helped inform national dialogue on poverty reduction, governance, and human development..

Mr. Sango has also been actively engaged in advancing evidence-informed policymaking through interactions with senior government officials, parliamentary processes, and national policy forums. Through his research and policy engagement, he contributes to national conversations on Tanzania’s development strategy, particularly on issues related to economic management, governance, and agricultural development.

In 2018, he co-founded the Impact Evaluation Laboratory with Constantine Manda  to strengthen the use of rigorous evidence in development policy and programs. 

Mr. Sango holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Sokoine University of Agriculture and a Postgraduate Diploma in Poverty Analysis from the International Institute of Social Studies.