Originally from Burundi, Léonce Ndikumana was appointed Distinguished Professors following approval by the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts (Umass Amherst) on Friday, Aug. 2 meeting.
Léonce Ndikumana was appointed Distinguished Professor alongside Barbara A. Osborne, Sankaran ‘Thai’ Thayumanavan, Anne Massey, and Janet S. Fink.
The title Distinguished Professor is conferred on select, highly accomplished faculty who have already achieved the rank of professor and who meet a demanding set of qualifications.
About Léonce Ndikumana
Léonce Ndikumana, of Burundian origin, is a Professor of Economics and specialist in African economy development, macroeconomics, external debt, and capital flight.

Léonce Ndikumana got his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Burundi in 1986. He became a lecturer in 1987 and finally Director of Finance and Administration at the same university. In 1992, he got a Masters in Economics and in 1996 his doctorate at the Washington University in St. Louis, USA.
He is currently Professor of Economics and Director of the Africa Development Program at the Institute of Research at Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the United States.
In their letter of nomination posted on the official website of the University of Massachusetts, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Provost John McCarthy wrote, “We are pleased to recommend Professor Léonce Ndikumana for the title of Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics…
“He joined the UMass Amherst faculty in 1996 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2002. Beginning in 2006, he occupied a succession of leadership positions at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank.
“He returned to Amherst in 2011 as professor of economics and director of the African Policy Program at the Political Economy Research Institute.
“Léonce Ndikumana is, in the words of an external reviewer, ‘one of the foremost scholars on African development.’ He is particularly known for his work on capital flight from Africa, but he has made important contributions in many other areas as well.”
According to the University of Massachusetts, He has over 75 publications, he has received every award for a scholarship that the University campus offers, and he has been named honorary professor at two of South Africa’s best universities, Stellenbosch, and Cape Town.
“Professor Ndikumana has been honored as a teacher as well as a scholar, having received the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award. His teaching evaluations are consistently excellent and he is a sought after and highly regarded advisor to graduate students.” said a statement on the University’s website
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