Duncan Okowa is the Restoration Policy Accelerator Research Associate in the Forest Program’s Global Restoration Initiative (GRI). He works to support GRI’s Landscape Restoration Policy Accelerator program, a peer-to-peer, capacity-building and co-creation program for policymakers looking to improve the implementation of existing policies or design new policies or public economic incentives to promote the implementation of landscape restoration. He also supports WRI’s expanding work on food security under the Vital Landscapes Pillar.

Prior to joining WRI, Duncan worked as Senior Programme Officer for Institute for Law and Environmental Governance (ILEG), leading the design and execution of several research, capacity building and advocacy projects around forests, natural resources and climate change governance. He also worked with University of Nairobi, on a UNEP-funded project on Development and Publication of Renewable Energy Policy Guidelines for Kenya.

Duncan has an M.A in Environmental Policy from University of Nairobi in Kenya and a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the same university. He lives in Nairobi with his wife and three kids.